Mitochondrial DNA Copy Number Is Associated With Treatment Response and Cognitive Function in Euthymic Bipolar Patients Receiving Valproate.

Background: Bipolar disorder (BD) is associated with cognitive impairment and mitochondrial dysfunction. However, the associations among mitochondrial DNA copy number (MCN), treatment response, and cognitive function remain elusive in BD patients.

Methods: Sixty euthymic BD patients receiving valproate (VPA) and 66 healthy controls from the community were recruited. The indices of metabolic syndrome (MetS) were measured. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis of blood leukocytes was used to measure the MCN. Cognitive function was measured by calculating perseverative errors and completed categories on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). The VPA treatment response was measured using the Alda scale.

Results: BD patients had significantly higher MCN, triglyceride, and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, waist circumference, and worse performance on the WCST than the controls. Regression models showed that BD itself and the VPA concentration exerted significant effects on increased MCN levels. Moreover, the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that an MCN of 2.05 distinguished VPA responders from nonresponders, with an area under the curve of 0.705 and a sensitivity and specificity of 0.529 and 0.816, respectively. An MCN level ≥2.05 was associated with 5.39 higher odds of being a VPA responder (P = .006). BD patients who were stratified into the high-MCN group had a higher VPA response rate, better WCST performance, lower CRP level, and less MetS.

Conclusions: The study suggests a link between the peripheral MCN and cognitive function in BD patients. As an inflammatory status, MetS might modulate this association.