BackgroundEmerging evidence suggests overlap in brain areas implicated in the pathophysiology of bipolar I disorder (BD-I) and vestibular activity in the brainstem, potentially underlying the postural instability observed in BD-I. Computerized Dynamic Posturography (CDP), a validated tool that quantifies the functional contributions of somatosensory, visual, and vestibular inputs, as well as the central mechanisms responsible for integrating these inputs, was employed to examine the sensory processing and postural control in BD-I.Aims and ObjectivesTo investigate the integrity of dynamic postural control and the contributions of somatosensory, visual, and vestibular sensory systems to postural stability in individuals with BD-I in remissionMethodThirty participants aged 18-50 years with BD-I in remission (ICD-11; female = 12), not on known vestibular suppressants, and 30 matched controls (female = 13) underwent CDP, which included the Sensory Organization Test (SOT), adaptation test, Motor Control Test (MCT), fall risk test, and Optokinetic test (OKN). The differences between the groups were assessed using an independent samples t-test.ResultsBD-I participants showed significantly poorer scores on SOT, fall risk test, and OKN test (all p < 0.005). We did not find significant differences in the adaptation test and MCT.Discussion and ConclusionsBD-I subjects exhibited greater postural alterations compared to healthy controls, indicating impaired sensory integration, especially when visual input was altered. Fall risk and OKN tests suggest central deficits in processing vestibular and proprioceptive input. These findings support postural control assessment as a potential biomarker for BD-I, though medication effects remain an important consideration.
Abubacker et al. (Tue,) studied this question.