Deficits on a probabilistic response-reversal task in patients with pediatric bipolar disorder.

Abstract

Patients with bipolar disorder become hyperhedonic when manic and anhedonic when depressed; therefore, it is important to test whether patients with bipolar disorder show deficits on behavioral paradigms exploring reward/punishment mechanisms. A probabilistic response-reversal task was administered to 24 bipolar children and 25 comparison subjects. Patients made more errors during probabilistic reversal, took longer to learn the new reward object, and were less likely to meet the learning criterion. Children with bipolar disorder may have a reversal learning deficit.