The electroencephalogram (EEG) can be a useful tool in determining differences in general neural activity and specific waveforms in individuals with a number of psychiatric disorders. This paper aims to outline and discuss significant findings in EEG and event-related potential (ERP) research into bipolar disorder (BD).

A literature review was performed through searches of MedLine, EMBASE, CINAHL and PsycInfo medical research databases for papers published from 1985 onwards. References of selected articles were also examined for other relevant studies.

Differences in general EEG data were found in subjects with BD, namely increased theta and delta and decreased alpha wave bands. Changes in EEG were also found in euthymic BD subjects and those undergoing medication programmes. ERP studies commonly report prolonged latencies and reduced amplitudes in the P300 component. Hyperfunctioning of the right hemisphere in BD was also reported in some studies, although further confirmation of this finding is required. Finally, the effects of medication and the role that genetics plays in EEG still remain unclear.

The literature reviewed demonstrates supporting evidence for the presence of significant differences in EEG and ERP data in subjects with BD. However, methodological considerations such as varying mood states and medication status of the patients need to be followed more stringently for future research to bring about a robust model of the cognitive deficits of BD.

Studies exploring relation of visual memory to white matter are extensively lacking. The Rey Visual Design Learning Test (RVDLT) is an elementary motion, colour and word independent visual memory test. It avoids a significant contribution from as many additional higher order visual brain functions as possible to visual performance, such as three-dimensional, colour, motion or word-dependent brain operations. Based on previous results, we hypothesised that test performance would be related with white matter of dorsal hippocampal commissure, corpus callosum, posterior cingulate, superior longitudinal fascicle and internal capsule.

In 14 healthy subjects, we measured intervoxel coherence (IC) by diffusion tensor imaging as an indication of connectivity and visual memory performance measured by the RVDLT. IC considers the orientation of the adjacent voxels and has a better signal-to-noise ratio than the commonly used fractional anisotropy index.

Using voxelwise linear regression analyses of the IC values, we found a significant and direct relationship between 11 clusters and visual memory test performance. The fact that memory performance correlated with white matter structure in left and right dorsal hippocampal commissure, left and right posterior cingulate, right callosal splenium, left and right superior longitudinal fascicle, right medial orbitofrontal region, left anterior cingulate, and left and right anterior limb of internal capsule emphasises our hypothesis.

Our observations in healthy subjects suggest that individual differences in brain function related to the performance of a task of higher cognitive demands might partially be associated with structural variation of white matter regions.

To investigate scanpath abnormalities during the encoding of static stimuli in schizophrenia and their interaction with visuospatial working memory (VSWM) dysfunction.

Outpatients with schizophrenia and control subjects were asked to encode a static pattern for subsequent recognition after a short delay. We measured the number of correct and incorrect choices. We also assessed the number and the distribution of fixations, the scanning time in specific regions of interest (ROIs) and the head movements during the encoding of the stimuli. The distributions of fixations and scanning time in definite ROIs during the discrimination of the correct pattern from the foils were also measured.

Patients recognised fewer correct patterns than controls. Correct trials in patients were characterised by a specific exploration of the central part of the stimulus during its presentation, whereas this feature was absent in incorrect trials. However, the scanning time and the numbers of fixations and head movements during encoding were similar in both groups and unrelated to recognition accuracy. In both groups, correct trials were associated with a selective exploration of the correct pattern amongst the six possibilities during recognition. Furthermore, patients gave more attention to incorrect patterns with a leftmost element identical to that of the correct response and also those approximating its global structure.

Patients showed a VSWM deficit independent of oculomotor dysfunctions and head movements during encoding. Patients’ correct trials were related to specific scanning during encoding and discrimination phases. Analysis of these patterns suggests that patients try to compensate for reduced VSWM ability by using specific encoding strategies.

We aimed to determine the prevalence of obesity and metabolic syndrome (O/MetS) in a sample of Brazilian outpatients with bipolar disorder.

Eighty-four patients with bipolar disorder were evaluated. We used the definition of MetS established in the Third Report of the National Cholesterol Education Program Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults, modified by the American Heart Association (AHA). Patients were classified as obese if their body mass index (BMI) was ≥ 30 kg/m2.

We found that 28.6% of our sample met the AHA criteria for MetS and 35.7% were obese. The percentage of patients meeting each criterion of the AHA was as follows: 46% for abdominal obesity; 44% for hypertriglyceridemia or cholesterol-lowering medication use; 26% for low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol or being on a lipid-lowering medication; 45% for hypertension; and 20% for high fasting glucose or anti-diabetic medication use.

The prevalence of obesity in our sample of outpatients with bipolar disorder was higher than that observed for the general population of Brazil. The rate of MetS was similar to that observed for the general population. Our data indicate the need for prevention, early detection and treatment of O/MetS in patients with bipolar disorder.