Cognitive and clinical predictors of community functioning across the psychoses

Processing speed and sustained attention in bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES

Cognitive impairment is a core feature of bipolar disorder (BD) and major depressive disorder (MDD). Deficits in processing speed (PS) and sustained attention (SA) may be particularly impaired and may underpin a broader profile of deficits, however current knowledge of the nature of these impairments is limited by heterogeneous results in the literature. Few reviews to date have attempted to disentangle sources of heterogeneity to assess the presence and magnitude of impairments in PS and SA in BD and MDD.

METHODS

One hundred and three studies were reviewed to examine performance in tests of PS and SA in BD (n = 3452) and MDD (n = 5461) compared to healthy controls (n = 8016). Neuropsychological methodology used in the literature was summarised. Data were meta-analysed to assess impairments in PS and SA for each neuropsychological test separately. Subgroup analysis was performed across mood states to investigate sources of heterogeneity.

RESULTS

Impairments were found across most neuropsychological tests, with small to large effect sizes for BD (range: d = 0.19-0.96) and MDD (range: d = 0.29-0.86). Impairments were present in symptomatic states and euthymia in most cases. Some outcome measures were not impaired in euthymia. Heterogeneity was observed for most neuropsychological tests and remained after separating by mood state. There inadequate data to meta-analyse some outcome measures, particularly for symptomatic groups.

CONCLUSION

Impairments in PS and SA in BD and MDD can be observed across most neuropsychological tests. Future research should further investigate the nature of these impairments across mood states, controlling for clinical confounds.

Psychotic symptoms in bipolar disorder and their impact on the illness: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Lifetime psychotic symptoms are present in over half of the patients with bipolar disorder (BD) and can have an adverse effect on its course, outcome, and treatment. However, despite a considerable amount of research, the impact of psychotic symptoms on BD remains unclear, and there are very few systematic reviews on the subject.

AIM

To examine the extent of psychotic symptoms in BD and their impact on several aspects of the illness.

METHODS

The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guidelines were followed. An electronic literature search of six English-language databases and a manual search was undertaken to identify published articles on psychotic symptoms in BD from January 1940 to December 2021. Combinations of the relevant Medical Subject Headings terms were used to search for these studies. Articles were selected after a screening phase, followed by a review of the full texts of the articles. Assessment of the methodological quality of the studies and the risk of bias was conducted using standard tools.

RESULTS

This systematic review included 339 studies of patients with BD. Lifetime psychosis was found in more than a half to two-thirds of the patients, while current psychosis was found in a little less than half of them. Delusions were more common than hallucinations in all phases of BD. About a third of the patients reported first-rank symptoms or mood-incongruent psychotic symptoms, particularly during manic episodes. Psychotic symptoms were more frequent in bipolar type I compared to bipolar type II disorder and in mania or mixed episodes compared to bipolar depression. Although psychotic symptoms were not more severe in BD, the severity of the illness in psychotic BD was consistently greater. Psychosis was usually associated with poor insight and a higher frequency of agitation, anxiety, and hostility but not with psychiatric comorbidity. Psychosis was consistently linked with increased rates and the duration of hospitalizations, switching among patients with depression, and poorer outcomes with mood-incongruent symptoms. In contrast, psychosis was less likely to be accompanied by a rapid-cycling course, longer illness duration, and heightened suicidal risk. There was no significant impact of psychosis on the other parameters of course and outcome.

CONCLUSION

Though psychotic symptoms are very common in BD, they are not always associated with an adverse impact on BD and its course and outcome.

Real-World Functioning in Psychiatric Outpatients: Predictive Factors

Introduction: Investigations on predictors of real-world functioning were mainly performed in patients with schizophrenia, while fewer studies have been conducted in other psychiatric disorders. Objective: Our objective was to identify clinical, socio-demographic, and illness-related predictors of real-world functioning during 12 months of standard treatments in outpatients with different diagnoses. Methods: Outpatients (n = 1019) with schizophrenia (SZ), major depressive disorder (MDD), bipolar disorder (BD), and borderline personality disorder (BPD) were evaluated with the following tools: SCID-5-CV and SCID-5-PD, CGI-S, SAT-P, DAI-10, and PSP. Change of PSP (ΔPSP) between baseline and 12 months was used as the dependent variable in multiple regression analysis. Results: Higher PSP score at baseline and the achievement of main milestones predicted better functioning after follow-up in all subgroups of patients, with the exception of BD. In the total sample, ΔPSP was related to age of onset, treatments, and quality of life, and inversely related to psychiatric anamnesis, antidepressants, and global symptoms. In SZ, ΔPSP was related to adherence and quality of life. In MDD, ΔPSP was related to psychotherapy and quality of life, and inversely related to antidepressants and global symptoms. In BD, ΔPSP was related to age of onset, antipsychotics, and quality of life, while it was inversely related to psychiatric anamnesis. In BPD, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, psychotherapy, and quality of life were directly related to ΔPSP, while suicidal attempts and global symptoms had an inverse relation. Conclusions: Several socio-demographic and illness-related variables predicted improvement of real-world functioning, besides psychopathology and severity of the disease.

The relations between executive functions and occupational functioning in individuals with bipolar disorder: a scoping review

Background

Patients with bipolar disorder experience impairments in their occupational functioning, despite remission of symptoms. Previous research has shown that neurocognitive deficits, especially deficits in executive functions, may persist during euthymia and are associated with diminished occupational functioning.

Objectives

The aim of this scoping review was to identify published studies that report on the relationships between executive functions and occupational functioning in BD to review current knowledge and identify knowledge gaps. In addition to traditional neuropsychological approaches, we aimed to describe executive functioning from a self-regulation perspective, including emotion regulation.

Methods

We applied the methodological framework as described by Arksey and O’Malley (Int J Soc Res Methodol Theory Pract 8:19–32, 2005) and Levac et al. (Implement Sci 5:1–9, 2010). We searched PubMed and psycINFO for literature up to November 2021, after which we screened papers based on inclusion criteria. Two reviewers independently performed the screening process, data charting process, and synthesis of results.

Results

The search yielded 1202 references after deduplication, of which 222 remained after initial screening. The screening and inclusion process yielded 82 eligible papers in which relationships between executive functions and occupational functioning are examined.

Conclusion

Neurocognitive deficits, including in executive functions and self-regulation, are associated with and predictive of diminished occupational functioning. Definitions and measurements for neurocognitive functions and occupational functioning differ greatly between studies, which complicates comparisons. Studies on functional remediation show promising results for improving occupational functioning in patients with BD. In research and clinical practice more attention is needed towards the quality of work functioning and the various contexts in which patients with BD experience deficits.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40345-022-00255-7.

Affective lability and social functioning in severe mental disorders

Social functioning is impaired in severe mental disorders despite clinical remission, illustrating the need to identify other mechanisms that hinder psychosocial recovery. Affective lability is elevated and associated with an increased clinical burden in psychosis spectrum disorders. We aimed to investigate putative associations between affective lability and social functioning in 293 participants with severe mental disorders (schizophrenia- and bipolar spectrum), and if such an association was independent of well-established predictors of social impairments. The Affective Lability Scale (ALS-SF) was used to measure affective lability covering the dimensions of anxiety-depression, depression-elation and anger. The interpersonal domain of the Social Functioning Scale (SFS) was used to measure social functioning. Correlation analyses were conducted to investigate associations between affective lability and social functioning, followed by a hierarchical multiple regression and follow-up analyses in diagnostic subgroups. Features related to premorbid and clinical characteristics were entered as independent variables together with the ALS-SF scores. We found that higher scores on all ALS-SF subdimensions were significantly associated with lower social functioning (p < 0.005) in the total sample. For the anxiety-depression dimension of the ALS-SF, this association persisted after controlling for potential confounders such as premorbid social functioning, duration of untreated illness and current symptoms (p = 0.019). Our results indicate that elevated affective lability may have a negative impact on social functioning in severe mental disorders, which warrants further investigation. Clinically, it might be fruitful to target affective lability in severe mental disorders to improve psychosocial outcomes.

European Psychiatric Association guidance on assessment of cognitive impairment in schizophrenia

Background

Impairment in a wide range of cognitive abilities has been consistently reported in individuals with schizophrenia. Both neurocognitive and social cognitive deficits are thought to underlie severe functional disabilities associated with schizophrenia. Despite the key role in schizophrenia outcome, cognition is still poorly assessed in both research and clinical settings.

Methods

In this guidance paper, we provide a systematic review of the scientific literature and elaborate several recommendations for the assessment of cognitive functions in schizophrenia both in research settings and in real-world clinical practice.

Results

Expert consensus and systematic reviews provided guidance for the optimal assessment of cognitive functions in schizophrenia. Based on the reviewed evidence, we recommend a comprehensive and systematic assessment of neurocognitive and social cognitive domains in schizophrenia, in all phases of the disorder, as well as in subjects at risk to develop psychosis. This European Psychiatric Association guidance recommends not only the use of observer reports but also self-reports and interview-based cognitive assessment tools. The guidance also provides a systematic review of the state of the art of assessment in the first episode of psychosis patients and in individuals at risk for psychosis.

Conclusion

The comprehensive review of the evidence and the recommendations might contribute to advance the field, allowing a better cognitive assessment, and avoiding overlaps with other psychopathological dimensions. The dissemination of this guidance paper may promote the development of shared guidelines concerning the assessment of cognitive functions in schizophrenia, with the purpose to improve the quality of care and to obtain recovery.

A Group Intervention for Motivational Deficits: Preliminary Investigation of a Blended Care Approach Using Ambulatory Assessment

Motivational deficits are an important predictor of functional outcomes in individuals with a serious mental illness such as schizophrenia and mood spectrum disorders. The aim of the present study was to explore the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a group version of "Switch," an intervention that targets motivational deficits, enriched with an ecological momentary intervention (EMI) approach (i.e., prompts on the participants' smartphone to encourage the use of trained strategies in their daily life). Eight participants with schizophrenia, schizoaffective, or major depressive disorder entered the study. The intervention took place twice a week for 2 months. Assessment measures included traditional evaluations of motivational negative symptoms, apathy, quality of life and daily functioning, in addition to ambulatory assessment methods strategies, including the experience sampling method (ESM) to assess motivation and related processes, and actigraphy (daily step-count) to assess participants' activity level. Four participants were considered as non-completers (followed less than 2/3 of the program) and four were considered as completers. Only completers presented a decrease in amotivation/apathy and an improvement in functional outcomes after the intervention and at follow-up. Furthermore, mixed-effects ESM models showed significant interaction effects on multiple processes related to motivation, indicating improvements only in completers: heightened motivation, increased engagement in meaningful and effortful activities, better mood, higher levels of confidence, increased frequency of projection into the future (pleasure anticipation), and of positive reminiscence. This preliminary investigation provides evidence that Switch may be an effective intervention, with specific effects on motivation and associated processes.

Cognitive outcomes after tDCS in schizophrenia patients with prominent negative symptoms: Results from the placebo-controlled STARTS trial

Cognitive deficits and negative symptoms in schizophrenia are associated with poor functional outcomes and limited in terms of treatment. The Schizophrenia Treatment With Electric Transcranial Stimulation (STARTS) trial has shown efficacy of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) for improving negative symptoms. In this secondary analysis, we investigate its effects on cognitive performance. In STARTS, a double-blinded, sham-controlled, randomized clinical trial, patients were treated with twice-daily, 20-min, 2-mA fronto-temporal tDCS over 5 days or sham-tDCS. In 90 patients, we evaluated the cognitive performance up to 12 weeks post-treatment. We found that active-tDCS showed no beneficial effects over sham-tDCS in any of the tests. Based on a 5-factor cognitive model, improvements of executive functions and delayed memory were observed in favor of sham-tDCS. Overall, the applied active-tDCS protocol, primarily designed to improve negative symptoms, did not promote cognitive improvement. We discuss possible protocol modification potentially required to increase tDCS effects on cognition. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02535676.