Impaired neuropsychological performance in euthymic patients with recurring mood disorders

Background: Both patients suffering from schizophrenia and patients suffering from recurring mood disorder show cognitive impairments as established by a variety of neuropsychological tests. The aim of the present study was to investigate the neuropsychological performance of euthymic patients who had recurring mood disorder and the possible relationship between episodes of hospitalization and cognitive impairments. Method: Twenty-six euthymic patients with a DSM-III-R recurring mood disorder diagnosis were investigated by using the Synonym Reasoning and Block-Test Battery and a part of the Halstead-Reitan Test Battery. Results: An overall lowered performance in the test results was found, There was a significant positive relationship between four different tests and the number of hospitalization episodes; the patients with impaired cognitive functioning had significantly more hospitalization episodes than patients with normal cognitive functioning. Conclusion: The results suggest that a subgroup of patients with recurring mood disorder are defined by more relapses and episodes of hospitalization and show cognitive dysfunctions even when euthymic.