Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40992781›Full record

ArticleActa psychiatrica Scandinavica2026

Childhood Maltreatment and Cognitive Performance in Bipolar Disorder: The Potential Role of Inflammation.

Marzieh Majd, Jennifer Nicoloro-SantaBarbara, Katharine Burns, Maura De Laney, Emma V Galante, Julia Lebovitz, Megan Shanahan, Katherine E Burdick

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Marzieh MajdDepartment of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7367-663X
Jennifer Nicoloro-SantaBarbaraDepartment of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6423-3554
Katharine BurnsDepartment of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Maura De LaneyDepartment of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Emma V GalanteDepartment of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Julia LebovitzDepartment of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
Megan ShanahanDepartment of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Katherine E BurdickDepartment of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4417-4988

Funding

Brain-based Mechanisms of Emotion Regulation in Aging and Mood DisordersR01MH124381 · NIMH · BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL · PI BURDICK, KATHERINE ELIZABETH, GUNNING, FAITH M · 2021 to 2025
$4.1M
Baszucki Brain Research FundHarvard Brain Institute-BD Seed grant mechanismNIMH NIH HHS R01 MH124381NIMH NIH HHS R01MH124381Women's Brain Initiative through Brigham and Women's Hospital
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCognitive deficits are common in individuals with bipolar disorder (BD), but there is considerable variability in cognitive functioning. Childhood maltreatment (CM), which is frequently reported in BD, has been linked to poorer cognitive performance, potentially through mechanisms such as inflammation. However, the relationship between CM and global cognition and the mediating role of inflammation in BD warrant further investigation.

methodsThe study sample consisted of 112 BD individuals and 83 healthy controls (HCs). Participants completed the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB), the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). A composite inflammation index was created using blood levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin (IL)-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and was used in primary analyses.

resultsThe BD group, compared to HC, showed higher levels of inflammation and CM. Across the entire sample, higher total CM was associated with poorer global cognitive performance, with a medium effect size, even after accounting for diagnostic status. The associations were evident across all CM subscales. Specific cognitive domains affected included speed of processing, working memory, visual learning, and reasoning and problem solving. The association between CM and poorer global cognitive performance was partially mediated by inflammation (indirect effect: β = -0.048, CI = -0.10, -0.009). Within the BD group, higher total CM was similarly associated with worse global cognitive performance. The associations were evident across all CM subscales, except for physical neglect. Significant associations were observed between total CM and MCCB domains of speed of processing, attention and vigilance, working memory, visual learning, reasoning and problem solving, as well as cognitive flexibility. Within the HC group, only emotional neglect and physical neglect were associated with poorer global cognition.

conclusionsThis study provides evidence that total CM and its subscales are associated with poorer global cognitive performance in a sample of individuals with BD and HC, with stronger associations found within the BD group. In addition, inflammation partially mediated the relationship between CM and global cognition. These findings highlight the importance of trauma-informed and cognition-focused interventions aimed at enhancing cognitive outcomes and slowing cognitive decline in individuals with BD who have a history of CM. Furthermore, the results suggest that while inflammation plays a role in the CM-cognition link, its effects are complex and likely interact with other biological and environmental factors.

Indexed as

Adult Survivors of Child AbuseBipolar DisorderChild AbuseCognitive DysfunctionInflammationAdultCognitionC-Reactive ProteinFemaleHumansInterleukin-6MaleMiddle AgedNeuropsychological TestsTumor Necrosis Factor-alphaC-Reactive ProteinInterleukin-6Tumor Necrosis Factor-alphacognitionCRPcytokinesearly life stressmood disordersneuroprogression

Identifiers

PMID40992781
PMCPMC13053005

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.