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Objective:  Patients with remitted major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder have persistent impairments in executive function and verbal memory that may represent endophenotypic abnormalities. In this study, we examine neurocognitive function in a sample of euthymic young adults with bipolar spectrum disorder (BSD) (Can J Psychiatry 2002; 47: 125–134) and compare this to well‐matched samples of young adults with recurrent MDD and controls.

Method:  Twenty‐one euthymic young adult patients with BSD were compared with 42 young adult patients with MDD and 33 controls on a neuropsychological battery assessing attention, executive function and verbal memory.

Results:  Patients with BSD were significantly more impaired than MDD patients and controls on tests of executive function and verbal memory. MDD patients did not differ significantly from controls on verbal memory function but …