APPETITE HORMONE DYSREGULATION AND EXECUTIVE DYSFUNCTION AMONG ADOLESCENTS WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER AND DISRUPTIVE MOOD DYSREGULATION DISORDER

Background

Appetite hormone dysregulation may play a role in the pathomechanisms of bipolar disorder and chronic irritability. However, its association with executive dysfunction in adolescents with bipolar disorder and those with disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD) remains unclear.

Methods

We included 20 adolescents with bipolar disorder, 20 adolescents with DMDD, and 47 healthy controls. Fasting serum levels of appetite hormones, including leptin, ghrelin, insulin, and adiponectin were examined. All participants completed the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test.

Results

Generalized linear models with adjustments for age, sex, body mass index, and clinical symptoms revealed that patients with DMDD had elevated fasting log-transformed insulin levels (p =.023) compared with the control group. Adolescents with DMDD performed worse in terms of the number of tries required to complete tasks associated with the first category (p =.035), and adolescents with bipolar disorder performed worse in terms of the number of categories completed (p =.035). A positive correlation was observed between log-transformed insulin levels and the number of tries required for the first category (β = 1.847, p = 032).

Discussion

Adolescents with DMDD, but not those with bipolar disorder, were more likely to exhibit appetite hormone dysregulation compared with healthy controls. Increased insulin levels were also related to executive dysfunction in these patients. Prospective studies should elucidate the temporal association between appetite hormone dysregulation, executive dysfunction, and emotional dysregulation.

References

1.Hsu et al. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2023 May 26

2.Chen et al. World J Biol Psychiatry. 2021 Jul;22(6):428-434