The effect of premorbid intelligence on neurocognitive and psychosocial functioning in bipolar disorder

Background: The aim of this study was to assess if premorbid IQ moderates the association between measures of clinical severity and neurocognitive or psychosocial functioning in euthymic patients with bipolar disorder. Methods: One hundred and nineteen outpatients and forty healthy controls were included. The length of illness, number of previous hypo/manic and depressive episodes, episode density, and history of psychosis assessed clinical severity. Performances in verbal memory, attention, and executive functions, as well as level of psychosocial functioning were used as outcomes. Results: The negative relationship between number of hypo/manic episodes and performance in executive functions decreased as a function of higher values of premorbid IQ. No other influences of premorbid IQ were found in the association between clinical severity measures and neurocognitive and psychosocial functioning. Conclusions: Premorbid IQ might moderate the relationship between the number of hypo/manic episodes and executive functioning in bipolar disorder. Possible interpretations of this finding are discussed.