An investigation of mental imagery in bipolar disorder: exploring “the mind’s eye”
Objectives. Mental imagery abnormalities occur across psychopathologies and are hypothesized to drive emotional difficulties in Bipolar Disorder (BD). A comprehensive assessment of mental imagery in BD is lacking. We aimed to test whether (i) mental imagery abnormalities occur in BD relative to non-...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Journal article |
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Wiley
2016
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| _version_ | 1826305704865038336 |
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| author | Di Simplicio, M Renner, F Blackwell, S Mitchell, H Stratford, H Watson, P Myers, N De Ozorio Nobre, A Lau-Zhu, A Holmes, E |
| author_facet | Di Simplicio, M Renner, F Blackwell, S Mitchell, H Stratford, H Watson, P Myers, N De Ozorio Nobre, A Lau-Zhu, A Holmes, E |
| author_sort | Di Simplicio, M |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | Objectives. Mental imagery abnormalities occur across psychopathologies and are hypothesized to drive emotional difficulties in Bipolar Disorder (BD). A comprehensive assessment of mental imagery in BD is lacking. We aimed to test whether (i) mental imagery abnormalities occur in BD relative to non-clinical controls; and (ii) to determine the specificity of any abnormalities in BD relative to depression and anxiety disorders. <br/>Methods. Participants were: 54 BD group (depressed/euthymic, N=27 each), and non-clinical controls (N=27), unipolar depression (N=26) and anxiety disorders (N=25) groups, matched on age, gender, ethnicity, education and premorbid IQ. Experimental tasks assessed cognitive (non-emotional) measure of mental imagery (“cognitive stages”). Questionnaires, experimental tasks and phenomenological interview assessed subjective domains including spontaneous imagery use, interpretation bias and emotional mental imagery. <br/>Results. (i) Compared to non-clinical controls, the BD combined group reported a greater impact of intrusive prospective imagery in daily life; more vivid and ‘real’ negative images (prospective imagery task); and higher self-involvement (picture-word task). The BD combined group showed no clear abnormalities in cognitive stages of mental imagery. (ii) Comparing BD depressed individuals to either the depressed or anxious clinical control group, no significant differences remained - across all groups, imagery differences were associated with affective lability and anxiety. <br/>Conclusions. Compared to non-clinical controls, BD is characterized by abnormalities in aspects of emotional mental imagery within the context of otherwise normal cognitive aspects. When matched for depression and anxiety, these abnormalities are not specific to BD – rather imagery may reflect a transdiagnostic marker of emotional psychopathology. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T06:36:53Z |
| format | Journal article |
| id | oxford-uuid:f7f497d5-0082-4bd9-999b-e76e1bdccf5c |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T06:36:53Z |
| publishDate | 2016 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:f7f497d5-0082-4bd9-999b-e76e1bdccf5c2022-03-27T12:46:42ZAn investigation of mental imagery in bipolar disorder: exploring “the mind’s eye”Journal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:f7f497d5-0082-4bd9-999b-e76e1bdccf5cSymplectic Elements at OxfordWiley2016Di Simplicio, MRenner, FBlackwell, SMitchell, HStratford, HWatson, PMyers, NDe Ozorio Nobre, ALau-Zhu, AHolmes, EObjectives. Mental imagery abnormalities occur across psychopathologies and are hypothesized to drive emotional difficulties in Bipolar Disorder (BD). A comprehensive assessment of mental imagery in BD is lacking. We aimed to test whether (i) mental imagery abnormalities occur in BD relative to non-clinical controls; and (ii) to determine the specificity of any abnormalities in BD relative to depression and anxiety disorders. <br/>Methods. Participants were: 54 BD group (depressed/euthymic, N=27 each), and non-clinical controls (N=27), unipolar depression (N=26) and anxiety disorders (N=25) groups, matched on age, gender, ethnicity, education and premorbid IQ. Experimental tasks assessed cognitive (non-emotional) measure of mental imagery (“cognitive stages”). Questionnaires, experimental tasks and phenomenological interview assessed subjective domains including spontaneous imagery use, interpretation bias and emotional mental imagery. <br/>Results. (i) Compared to non-clinical controls, the BD combined group reported a greater impact of intrusive prospective imagery in daily life; more vivid and ‘real’ negative images (prospective imagery task); and higher self-involvement (picture-word task). The BD combined group showed no clear abnormalities in cognitive stages of mental imagery. (ii) Comparing BD depressed individuals to either the depressed or anxious clinical control group, no significant differences remained - across all groups, imagery differences were associated with affective lability and anxiety. <br/>Conclusions. Compared to non-clinical controls, BD is characterized by abnormalities in aspects of emotional mental imagery within the context of otherwise normal cognitive aspects. When matched for depression and anxiety, these abnormalities are not specific to BD – rather imagery may reflect a transdiagnostic marker of emotional psychopathology. |
| spellingShingle | Di Simplicio, M Renner, F Blackwell, S Mitchell, H Stratford, H Watson, P Myers, N De Ozorio Nobre, A Lau-Zhu, A Holmes, E An investigation of mental imagery in bipolar disorder: exploring “the mind’s eye” |
| title | An investigation of mental imagery in bipolar disorder: exploring “the mind’s eye” |
| title_full | An investigation of mental imagery in bipolar disorder: exploring “the mind’s eye” |
| title_fullStr | An investigation of mental imagery in bipolar disorder: exploring “the mind’s eye” |
| title_full_unstemmed | An investigation of mental imagery in bipolar disorder: exploring “the mind’s eye” |
| title_short | An investigation of mental imagery in bipolar disorder: exploring “the mind’s eye” |
| title_sort | investigation of mental imagery in bipolar disorder exploring the mind s eye |
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