TY - JOUR
T1 - Telomere length and verbal learning in bipolar disorders
AU - Mlakar, Vid
AU - Birkenæs, Viktoria
AU - Elvsaashagen, Torbjørn
AU - Ormerod, Monica B.E.G.
AU - Quintana, Daniel S.
AU - Ueland, Torill
AU - Melle, Ingrid
AU - Lagerberg, Trine V.
AU - Djurovic, Srdjan
AU - Martin-Ruiz, Carmen
AU - Steen, Nils Eiel
AU - Andreassen, Ole A.
AU - Aas, Monica
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was funded by grants from the University of Oslo, South-Eastern Norway Health Authority (#2013088, #2017060), the Research Council of Norway (#223273), and the KG Jebsen Stiftelsen, and the MRC (#MR/WO27720/1).
Funding Information:
This study was funded by grants from the University of Oslo, South-Eastern Norway Health Authority (# 2013088 , # 2017060 ), the Research Council of Norway (# 223273 ), and the KG Jebsen Stiftelsen , and the MRC (# MR/WO27720/1 ).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors
PY - 2023/10/15
Y1 - 2023/10/15
N2 - Introduction: Recent studies indicate accelerated ageing processes, shorter telomere length and poorer cognitive functioning in patients with bipolar disorder. The neurobiology underlying cognitive function in bipolar disorder is yet to be established. We anticipated that accelerated ageing as indicated by shortened telomere length, would be associated with reduced cognitive performance in bipolar disorder, particularly for ageing sensitive functions such as memory and learning. Methods: The study consisted of 647 participants (bipolar disorder [n = 246] and healthy controls [n = 401]). All participants underwent a standardized neuropsychological test battery, including working memory, executive functioning, processing speed, verbal learning, and verbal memory. Leucocyte telomere length was measured via blood and determined by quantitative real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) providing a telomere to single copy ratio (T/S ratio). The T/S ratio was used as an estimate of the mean telomere length of each participant. All analyses were adjusted for medication, Daily Defined Dose (DDD), chronological age, sex, and ethnicity. Results: Patients had shorter telomere lengths than healthy controls (Cohen's d = 0.11, p = 0.01). Within patients', a positive association was observed for verbal learning and telomere length (β = 0.14, p = 0.025), along with a trend for verbal memory and telomere length (β = 0.11, p = 0.07). No other associations were observed for telomere length and cognitive functioning in the patient or the control group (p > 0.1). Conclusion: Our study may suggest poorer brain health in bipolar disorder as indexed by shorter telomere length and reduced learning correlates. However, the role of telomere length on cognitive functioning in bipolar disorder seems limited.
AB - Introduction: Recent studies indicate accelerated ageing processes, shorter telomere length and poorer cognitive functioning in patients with bipolar disorder. The neurobiology underlying cognitive function in bipolar disorder is yet to be established. We anticipated that accelerated ageing as indicated by shortened telomere length, would be associated with reduced cognitive performance in bipolar disorder, particularly for ageing sensitive functions such as memory and learning. Methods: The study consisted of 647 participants (bipolar disorder [n = 246] and healthy controls [n = 401]). All participants underwent a standardized neuropsychological test battery, including working memory, executive functioning, processing speed, verbal learning, and verbal memory. Leucocyte telomere length was measured via blood and determined by quantitative real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) providing a telomere to single copy ratio (T/S ratio). The T/S ratio was used as an estimate of the mean telomere length of each participant. All analyses were adjusted for medication, Daily Defined Dose (DDD), chronological age, sex, and ethnicity. Results: Patients had shorter telomere lengths than healthy controls (Cohen's d = 0.11, p = 0.01). Within patients', a positive association was observed for verbal learning and telomere length (β = 0.14, p = 0.025), along with a trend for verbal memory and telomere length (β = 0.11, p = 0.07). No other associations were observed for telomere length and cognitive functioning in the patient or the control group (p > 0.1). Conclusion: Our study may suggest poorer brain health in bipolar disorder as indexed by shorter telomere length and reduced learning correlates. However, the role of telomere length on cognitive functioning in bipolar disorder seems limited.
KW - Bipolar disorder
KW - Cognitive impairments
KW - Lithium
KW - Telomeres/telomere length maintenance
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85165646694&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jad.2023.07.087
DO - 10.1016/j.jad.2023.07.087
M3 - Article
C2 - 37459977
AN - SCOPUS:85165646694
SN - 0165-0327
VL - 339
SP - 555
EP - 560
JO - Journal of Affective Disorders
JF - Journal of Affective Disorders
ER -