Patients with Bipolar Disorder (BD) have been reported to present disturbances in the performance of cognitive functions such as memory, attention and executive function, even during euthymic periods. Also, a strong association with some chromosome zones has been demonstrated to be etiologically determinant in the presentation of the disorder, as has been described for chromosomes 12, 18, and 21.
I will revise the findings related to neurocognitive disfunction of patients with BD, which can be considered endophenotypes of BD, both in those patients which are on medication and in those who are not.
I will also review which chromosome regions are associated to these neurocognitive disfunctions , found as a result of a study a special population of a genetically isolated Colombian region with high prevalence of bipolar disorder.
The possible association of these neurocognitive and genetic findings will also be analyzed in relation to neuroimage studies in the same population.
I will show the importance of these findings and how thry can be considered possible biological markers which help to better understand the disorder and to make an earlier diagnosis.