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Stability of estimated IQ across mood state in patients with bipolar disorder.

Lebowitz BK, Shear PK, Steed MA, Strakowski SM

Center for Bipolar Disorders Research, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45221-0376, USA.

OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to assess the impact of mania symptoms on the stability of the American version of the National Adult Reading Test (ANART), a measure that provides a putative estimate of premorbid intellectual functioning. METHODS: The ANART was administered to a sample of 10 inpatients with bipolar disorder who were experiencing an acute episode of mania. During a subsequent follow-up visit during which these individuals exhibited at most minimal mood symptoms, the ANART was re-administered. RESULTS: ANART estimated intelligence quotient (IQ) scores during mania and affective stability were assessed in the 10 patients using a paired sample t-test. Within-subject performance across the two mood states did not significantly differ [t(9) = -1.24, p = 0.25]. Additionally, the greatest individual difference across mood states was only 3.68 points, and the average estimated IQ difference across mood states was 1.66. CONCLUSIONS: While the results are preliminary and based on a small sample, the highly consistent scores achieved across mood states in this study suggest that the ANART is a reliable indicator of premorbid IQ.

Published 17 January 2006 in Bipolar Disord, 8(1): 81-4.
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