Abstract
This study examines psychomotor inhibition, sustained attention, and inhibitory attentional control in adolescents (ages 12–18 years) with a nonmanic mood disorder and with a first-degree relative with bipolar I disorder (MD, N = 20) and demographically matched healthy children of parents without any psychiatric disorder (HC, N = 13). MD participants showed abnormal performance in stop signal reaction time and latency (d = 1.28 and 1.64, respectively), sustained attention response bias (d = 0.75), and color naming speed (d = 0.88). The results indicate that MD participants exhibit psychomotor disinhibition, marginal cognitive slowing and cautious response biases, but no formal deficits in sustained or selective attention.
Acknowledgments
This study was supported by the Stanley Medical Research Institute. A preliminary abstract of this paper was presented at the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA, USA, October 27, 2006, New Research Poster, D-24.