Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Saldarini, Francesco
• Gottlieb, Natalie
• Stokes, Paul R.A.

Titel

Neural correlates of working memory function in euthymic people with bipolar disorder compared to healthy controls: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Ist Teil von

• Journal of affective disorders, 2022-01, Vol.297, p.610-622

Ort / Verlag

Netherlands: Elsevier B.V

Erscheinungsjahr

2022

Link zum Volltext

Quelle

MEDLINE

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• •Distinct patterns of brain activations revealed by fMRI are associated with working memory tasks.•This study found that these patterns differ between healthy controls and people with bipolar disorder (BD).•Abnormalities in working memory related fMRI activity in BD may persist regardless of mood state.•Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and default mode network brain regions were both implicated in working memory fMRI BD studies. Bipolar disorders (BD) are serious mental health disorders that impacts on cognitive and social functioning. We aimed to systematically review and conduct a meta-analysis of fMRI correlates of working memory in euthymic people with BD compared to healthy participants. Web of Science, Embase and PubMed databases were systematically searched to identify studies which examined the fMRI correlates of working memory function in euthymic people with BD and healthy participants. Relevant demographic, behavioral and functional MRI (fMRI) data was qualitatively and quantitatively assessed, and the quality of the included studies evaluated. Comparable studies which used the same working memory task were included in a meta-analysis using Seed-Based D Mapping software (SDM). Twenty-four studies were included in this systematic review. Consistent brain fMRI activity differences were found in key brain areas of the working memory network in euthymic people with BD compared to healthy participants including the ventromedial and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices. Cognitive performance was not significantly different between the two groups. Six studies were suitable to be included in the meta-analysis. There was no significant overlap in areas of brain activation after family-wise correction for multiple comparisons. Heterogeneity of task paradigms, small sample sizes and inherent difficulty in the interpretation of functional brain activity due to variations between studies were all limitations. The differences in working memory related fMRI activity identified by this study between people with BD and healthy participants are consistent with existing literature reporting impaired working memory performance in BD. This was not accompanied by significant differences in cognitive performance in the reviewed studies, likely due to small sample sizes. Further studies are needed to investigate the relationship between differential brain activity and working memory performance in people with BD.