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

Objective: 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. Method: A probabilistic response-reversal task was administered to 24 bipolar children and 25 comparison subjects. Results: Patients made more errors during probabilistic reversal, took longer to learn the new reward object, and were less likely to meet the learning criterion. Conclusions: Children with bipolar disorder may have a reversal learning deficit.