Neurocognitive effects of aripiprazole in adolescents and young adults with bipolar disorder

Background: Patients with bipolar disorder have neurocognitive impairments, which are associated with poor functional outcomes. Aims: This study evaluated the neurocognitive effects of aripiprazole in adolescents and young adults with bipolar disorder. Methods: This was a 24-week, observational, prospective study performed in Taiwan. Participants in the study were clinically diagnosed as having bipolar disorder according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSM-IV). In total, 28 patients participated and were administered aripiprazole. Neurocognitive function was assessed as a change from baseline in the Continuous Performance Test (CPT) and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). Results: The 28 patients had a mean age of 18.5 +/- 3.3 years. During the 24-week aripiprazole treatment, these patients had significant improvements in omission score (chi(2) = 7.83, P = 0.050) and detectability scores (chi(2) = 13.79, P = 0.003) in the CPT, and perseverative errors (chi(2) = 17.42, P = 0.001) in the WCST. The WCST perseverative errors scores were significantly associated with general symptom scores in Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) (beta = -1.34, P = 0.024). No significant differences were found between the neurocognitive functions of patients with manic, depressive and mixed episodes from baseline to week 24. Conclusions: Adolescents and young adults with bipolar disorder experienced significant neurocognitive function improvements after treatment with aripiprazole. A randomized, controlled design is warranted to determine whether these improvements are associated with aripiprazole or the course of bipolar disorder.