Effects of functional remediation on neurocognitively impaired bipolar patients: enhancement of verbal memory
Year: 2015
Type: article
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Functional remediation is a novel intervention with demonstrated efficacy at improving functional outcome in euthymic bipolar patients. However, in a previous trial no significant changes in neurocognitive measures were detected. The objective of the present analysis was to test the efficacy of this therapy in the enhancement of neuropsychological functions in a subgroup of neurocognitively impaired bipolar patients. METHOD: A total of 188 out of 239 DSM-IV euthymic bipolar patients performing below two standard deviations from the mean of normative data in any neurocognitive test were included in this subanalysis. Repeated-measures analyses of variance were conducted to assess the impact of the treatment arms [functional remediation, psychoeducation, or treatment as usual (TAU)] on participants' neurocognitive and functional outcomes in the subgroup of neurocognitively impaired patients. RESULTS: Patients receiving functional remediation (n = 56) showed an improvement on delayed free recall when compared with the TAU (n = 63) and psychoeducation (n = 69) groups as shown by the group × time interaction at 6-month follow-up [F 2,158 = 3.37, degrees of freedom (df) = 2, p = 0.037]. However, Tukey post-hoc analyses revealed that functional remediation was only superior when compared with TAU (p = 0.04), but not with psychoeducation (p = 0.10). Finally, the patients in the functional remediation group also benefited from the treatment in terms of functional outcome (F 2,158 = 4.26, df = 2, p = 0.016). CONCLUSIONS: Functional remediation is effective at improving verbal memory and psychosocial functioning in a sample of neurocognitively impaired bipolar patients at 6-month follow-up. Neurocognitive enhancement may be one of the active ingredients of this novel intervention, and, specifically, verbal memory appears to be the most sensitive function that improves with functional remediation.
Source: Psychological Medicine
Authors: C. M. Bonnin, M. Reinares, A. Martínez-Arán, V. Balanzá-Martínez, B. Sole, C. Torrent, R. Tabarés-Seisdedos, M. P. García-Portilla, A. Ibáñez, B. L. Amann, C. Arango, J. L. Ayuso-Mateos, J. M. Crespo, A. González-Pinto, F. Colom, E. Vieta, The CIBERSAM Functional Remediation Group
Institutions: Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Consorci Institut D'Investigacions Biomediques August Pi I Sunyer, Universitat de Barcelona, Universitat de València, Hospital Universitari i Politècnic La Fe, Universidad de Oviedo, Universidad de Alcalá, Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Fidmag Sisters Hospitallers, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Bellvitge University Hospital, Institut d'Investigació Biomédica de Bellvitge, University of the Basque Country, Osasun Sistemen Ikerketa Institutua
Language: English
Subfield: Psychiatry and Mental health
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2257703981