Increased sensitivity to positive social stimuli in monozygotic twins at risk of bipolar vs. unipolar disorder

S Kærsgaard; Iselin  Meluken; Lars Vedel Kessing; Maj Vinberg; Kamilla Woznica Miskowiak

doi:10.1016/j.jad.2018.02.055

Increased sensitivity to positive social stimuli in monozygotic twins at risk of bipolar vs. unipolar disorder

S Kærsgaard, Iselin Meluken, Lars Vedel Kessing, Maj Vinberg, Kamilla Woznica Miskowiak

Department of Clinical Medicine

6 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Abnormalities in affective cognition are putative endophenotypes for bipolar and unipolar disorders but it is unclear whether some abnormalities are disorder-specific. We therefore investigated affective cognition in monozygotic twins at familial risk of bipolar disorder relative to those at risk of unipolar disorder and to low-risk twins.

METHODS: Seventy monozygotic twins with a co-twin history of bipolar disorder (n = 11), of unipolar disorder (n = 38) or without co-twin history of affective disorder (n = 21) were included. Variables of interest were recognition of and vigilance to emotional faces, emotional reactivity and -regulation in social scenarios and non-affective cognition.

RESULTS: Twins at familial risk of bipolar disorder showed increased recognition of low to moderate intensity of happy facial expressions relative to both unipolar disorder high-risk twins and low-risk twins. Bipolar disorder high-risk twins also displayed supraliminal attentional avoidance of happy faces compared with unipolar disorder high-risk twins and greater emotional reactivity in positive and neutral social scenarios and less reactivity in negative social scenarios than low-risk twins. In contrast with our hypothesis, there was no negative bias in unipolar disorder high-risk twins. There were no differences between the groups in demographic characteristics or non-affective cognition.

LIMITATIONS: The modest sample size limited the statistical power of the study.

CONCLUSIONS: Increased sensitivity and reactivity to positive social stimuli may be a neurocognitive endophenotype that is specific for bipolar disorder. If replicated in larger samples, this 'positive endophenotype' could potentially aid future diagnostic differentiation between unipolar and bipolar disorder.

Original language	English
Journal	Journal of Affective Disorders
Volume	232
Pages (from-to)	212-218
Number of pages	7
ISSN	0165-0327
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2018.02.055
Publication status	Published - May 2018

Keywords

Adult
Affective Symptoms/genetics
Attention
Bipolar Disorder/genetics
Cognition
Depressive Disorder/genetics
Diseases in Twins/genetics
Emotions/physiology
Endophenotypes
Facial Expression
Female
Humans
Male
Risk
Twins, Monozygotic/genetics

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10.1016/j.jad.2018.02.055

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title = "Increased sensitivity to positive social stimuli in monozygotic twins at risk of bipolar vs. unipolar disorder",

abstract = "BACKGROUND: Abnormalities in affective cognition are putative endophenotypes for bipolar and unipolar disorders but it is unclear whether some abnormalities are disorder-specific. We therefore investigated affective cognition in monozygotic twins at familial risk of bipolar disorder relative to those at risk of unipolar disorder and to low-risk twins.METHODS: Seventy monozygotic twins with a co-twin history of bipolar disorder (n = 11), of unipolar disorder (n = 38) or without co-twin history of affective disorder (n = 21) were included. Variables of interest were recognition of and vigilance to emotional faces, emotional reactivity and -regulation in social scenarios and non-affective cognition.RESULTS: Twins at familial risk of bipolar disorder showed increased recognition of low to moderate intensity of happy facial expressions relative to both unipolar disorder high-risk twins and low-risk twins. Bipolar disorder high-risk twins also displayed supraliminal attentional avoidance of happy faces compared with unipolar disorder high-risk twins and greater emotional reactivity in positive and neutral social scenarios and less reactivity in negative social scenarios than low-risk twins. In contrast with our hypothesis, there was no negative bias in unipolar disorder high-risk twins. There were no differences between the groups in demographic characteristics or non-affective cognition.LIMITATIONS: The modest sample size limited the statistical power of the study.CONCLUSIONS: Increased sensitivity and reactivity to positive social stimuli may be a neurocognitive endophenotype that is specific for bipolar disorder. If replicated in larger samples, this 'positive endophenotype' could potentially aid future diagnostic differentiation between unipolar and bipolar disorder.",

keywords = "Adult, Affective Symptoms/genetics, Attention, Bipolar Disorder/genetics, Cognition, Depressive Disorder/genetics, Diseases in Twins/genetics, Emotions/physiology, Endophenotypes, Facial Expression, Female, Humans, Male, Risk, Twins, Monozygotic/genetics",

author = "S K{\ae}rsgaard and Iselin Meluken and Kessing, {Lars Vedel} and Maj Vinberg and Miskowiak, {Kamilla Woznica}",

year = "2018",

month = may,

doi = "10.1016/j.jad.2018.02.055",

language = "English",

volume = "232",

pages = "212--218",

journal = "Journal of Affective Disorders",

issn = "0165-0327",

publisher = "Elsevier",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Increased sensitivity to positive social stimuli in monozygotic twins at risk of bipolar vs. unipolar disorder

AU - Kærsgaard, S

AU - Meluken, Iselin

AU - Kessing, Lars Vedel

AU - Vinberg, Maj

AU - Miskowiak, Kamilla Woznica

PY - 2018/5

Y1 - 2018/5

N2 - BACKGROUND: Abnormalities in affective cognition are putative endophenotypes for bipolar and unipolar disorders but it is unclear whether some abnormalities are disorder-specific. We therefore investigated affective cognition in monozygotic twins at familial risk of bipolar disorder relative to those at risk of unipolar disorder and to low-risk twins.METHODS: Seventy monozygotic twins with a co-twin history of bipolar disorder (n = 11), of unipolar disorder (n = 38) or without co-twin history of affective disorder (n = 21) were included. Variables of interest were recognition of and vigilance to emotional faces, emotional reactivity and -regulation in social scenarios and non-affective cognition.RESULTS: Twins at familial risk of bipolar disorder showed increased recognition of low to moderate intensity of happy facial expressions relative to both unipolar disorder high-risk twins and low-risk twins. Bipolar disorder high-risk twins also displayed supraliminal attentional avoidance of happy faces compared with unipolar disorder high-risk twins and greater emotional reactivity in positive and neutral social scenarios and less reactivity in negative social scenarios than low-risk twins. In contrast with our hypothesis, there was no negative bias in unipolar disorder high-risk twins. There were no differences between the groups in demographic characteristics or non-affective cognition.LIMITATIONS: The modest sample size limited the statistical power of the study.CONCLUSIONS: Increased sensitivity and reactivity to positive social stimuli may be a neurocognitive endophenotype that is specific for bipolar disorder. If replicated in larger samples, this 'positive endophenotype' could potentially aid future diagnostic differentiation between unipolar and bipolar disorder.

AB - BACKGROUND: Abnormalities in affective cognition are putative endophenotypes for bipolar and unipolar disorders but it is unclear whether some abnormalities are disorder-specific. We therefore investigated affective cognition in monozygotic twins at familial risk of bipolar disorder relative to those at risk of unipolar disorder and to low-risk twins.METHODS: Seventy monozygotic twins with a co-twin history of bipolar disorder (n = 11), of unipolar disorder (n = 38) or without co-twin history of affective disorder (n = 21) were included. Variables of interest were recognition of and vigilance to emotional faces, emotional reactivity and -regulation in social scenarios and non-affective cognition.RESULTS: Twins at familial risk of bipolar disorder showed increased recognition of low to moderate intensity of happy facial expressions relative to both unipolar disorder high-risk twins and low-risk twins. Bipolar disorder high-risk twins also displayed supraliminal attentional avoidance of happy faces compared with unipolar disorder high-risk twins and greater emotional reactivity in positive and neutral social scenarios and less reactivity in negative social scenarios than low-risk twins. In contrast with our hypothesis, there was no negative bias in unipolar disorder high-risk twins. There were no differences between the groups in demographic characteristics or non-affective cognition.LIMITATIONS: The modest sample size limited the statistical power of the study.CONCLUSIONS: Increased sensitivity and reactivity to positive social stimuli may be a neurocognitive endophenotype that is specific for bipolar disorder. If replicated in larger samples, this 'positive endophenotype' could potentially aid future diagnostic differentiation between unipolar and bipolar disorder.

KW - Adult

KW - Affective Symptoms/genetics

KW - Attention

KW - Bipolar Disorder/genetics

KW - Cognition

KW - Depressive Disorder/genetics

KW - Diseases in Twins/genetics

KW - Emotions/physiology

KW - Endophenotypes

KW - Facial Expression

KW - Female

KW - Humans

KW - Male

KW - Risk

KW - Twins, Monozygotic/genetics

U2 - 10.1016/j.jad.2018.02.055

DO - 10.1016/j.jad.2018.02.055

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 29499503

SN - 0165-0327

VL - 232

SP - 212

EP - 218

JO - Journal of Affective Disorders

JF - Journal of Affective Disorders

ER -

Increased sensitivity to positive social stimuli in monozygotic twins at risk of bipolar vs. unipolar disorder

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