Publication Cover
Journal of Dual Diagnosis
research and practice in substance abuse comorbidity
Volume 4, 2008 - Issue 3
63
Views
1
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Original Articles

Declarative Memory in Patients With Bipolar Disorder and Stimulant Abuse Receiving Lamotrigine

, &
Pages 303-313 | Published online: 11 Oct 2008
 

ABSTRACT

Bipolar disorder (BPD) and stimulant use are both associated with cognitive deficits. Patients with BPD and substance use disorders have poorer cognition than patients with only BPD. No longitudinal studies have examined the impact of improvement in mood and reduction in substance use on cognition, specifically memory, in patients with BPD and substance abuse. We previously reported positive effects of lamotrigine on mood and drug use in patients with BPD and stimulant dependence. In a consecutive subset of these patients, declarative memory was assessed at baseline and at week 12. Lamotrigine titration up to 300 mg/day was accomplished over 10 weeks. Participants (n = 31) with BPD and cocaine/amphetamine dependence were assessed using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview, Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, Young Mania Rating Scale, Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, Cocaine Craving Questionnaire, and Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) while receiving lamotrigine. Drug use was assessed through urine drug screens and self-report. Mood and drug use were assessed biweekly. Psychiatric symptoms improved and drug use decreased, but performance on the RAVLT, a measure of declarative memory, declined, primarily because patients were receiving concomitant psychotropic medications. Those receiving lamotrigine monotherapy showed little change in RAVLT scores. In summary, memory deficits in patients with BPD and stimulant dependence did not improve following reduction in drug use and improvement of mood. The combination of lamotrigine with other psychotropic medications may be associated with a decline in declarative memory performance in some persons.

Financial support was provided by Stanley Medical Research Institute, GlaxoSmithKline (study medication).

Log in via your institution

Log in to Taylor & Francis Online

PDF download + Online access

  • 48 hours access to article PDF & online version
  • Article PDF can be downloaded
  • Article PDF can be printed
USD 53.00 Add to cart

Issue Purchase

  • 30 days online access to complete issue
  • Article PDFs can be downloaded
  • Article PDFs can be printed
USD 273.00 Add to cart

* Local tax will be added as applicable

Related Research

People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read.

Recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine.

Cited by lists all citing articles based on Crossref citations.
Articles with the Crossref icon will open in a new tab.