Introduction:
Bipolar disorder (BD) is a chronic psychiatric condition characterized by recurrent episodes of mania, hypomania, and depression. Beyond episodic mood disturbances, increasing evidence suggests that BD may be associated with progressive changes in cognitive functioning and behavior across the lifespan. This poster addresses the following research question: How does bipolar disorder affect long-term cognitive functioning, and what evidence links BD to an increased risk of cognitive decline and dementia, particularly frontotemporal dementia (FTD) or related syndromes?
Methods:
A narrative review of the scientific literature was conducted using PubMed, MEDLINE, Google Scholar, and related databases. The review synthesized findings from longitudinal clinical studies, neuropsychological research, and neuroimaging investigations. Particular emphasis was placed on persistent cognitive deficits in executive function, attention, memory, and social cognition, as well as epidemiological studies examining dementia risk in individuals with a history of BD.
Results:
The literature indicates that individuals with BD frequently exhibit enduring cognitive impairments that persist beyond acute mood episodes, most notably in executive functioning and attention. Recurrent mood episodes appear to contribute to cumulative neurocognitive burden, with neuroimaging studies demonstrating cortical thinning and altered functional connectivity within frontotemporal networks. Epidemiological evidence suggests an elevated risk of later-life cognitive decline and dementia among individuals with BD, with notable phenotypic overlap between BD-related cognitive changes and early features of frontotemporal dementia. Proposed mechanisms include chronic neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and impaired synaptic plasticity. Increased vulnerability has been reported among individuals with late-onset BD or a high number of mood episodes.
Conclusions:
These findings suggest that bipolar disorder may involve progressive cognitive trajectories in a subset of individuals, with partial overlap with neurodegenerative processes. Early intervention, sustained mood stabilization, and longitudinal cognitive monitoring may be critical for mitigating long-term cognitive decline and informing dementia prevention strategies in bipolar disorder.
