Bereitschaftspotential in remitted paediatric bipolar disorder

• In this study, we did not notice early or late Bereitschaftspotential (BP) abnormalities in a pure sample of remitted paediatric bipolar disorder patients.
• Our finding indicates normal motor preparatory processes in bipolar disorder.
• This finding is in agreement with our previous research reporting normal anticipatory slow waves in paediatric bipolar subjects.
• Future research needs to address the specificity of normal anticipatory slow wave in bipolar disorder, compared to other major Psychoses.

Bereitschaftspotential (BP) is an anticipatory slow wave in the brain that typically precedes a voluntary motor act and its deficit reflects abnormal motor preparatory processes in the brain. Although BP deficits have been consistently noticed in schizophrenia, similar research in depression has yielded contradictory results; therefore, it is unclear if motor anticipatory processes are actually abnormal in mood disorder. We compared both early and late BP between thirty remitted paediatric bipolar patients (PBD) and thirty matched healthy control group subjects. We did not find any evidence of BP abnormality in PBD, indicating normal motor preparatory processes in this condition. This finding is in agreement with our previous research reporting normal anticipatory slow waves in bipolar subjects. Future research needs to address the specificity of normal anticipatory slow waves in bipolar disorder, compared to other major Psychoses.