Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society : JINSFeb 16, 2013

Is risk-taking a shared trait in bipolar disorder? Study of people with bipolar I and their close relatives

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Updated Apr 5, 2026

Abstract

Euthymic bipolar I patients and their asymptomatic first-degree relatives showed significantly lower risk-taking behavior scores compared to healthy controls.

The Balloon Analogue Risk Task revealed that both bipolar patients and their relatives had lower behavioral adjustment scores than healthy controls.
Bipolar patients scored significantly higher on the total and motor impulsivity subscales compared to healthy controls.
No significant associations were found between risk-taking or impulsivity scores and features of the illness.
Risk-taking behavior may serve as a potential endophenotype for bipolar disorder, distinct from impulsivity.

Simplified

Risk-taking behavior and impulsivity are core features of bipolar disorder. Whether they are part of the inherited aspect of the illness is not clear. We aimed to evaluate risk-taking behavior as a potential endophenotype for bipolar disorders, and its relationship with impulsivity and illness features. The Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART) and Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11 (BIS-11) were used to assess risk-taking behavior and impulsivity respectively in 30 euthymic bipolar I patients (BD), their 25 asymptomatic first-degree relatives (BD-R), and 30 healthy controls (HC). The primary BART outcome measure was the behavioral adjustment score (number of pumps after trials where the balloon did not pop minus the number of pumps after trials where the balloon popped). BD (p < .001) and BD-R (p = .001) had similar and significantly lower adjustment scores than HC. Only BD scored significantly higher on BIS-11 total (p = .01) and motor (p = .04) subscales than HC. Neither the BART, nor impulsivity scores associated with illness features. A limitation of this study is medicated patients and a heterogeneous BD-R were included. Riskiness may be a candidate endophenotype for bipolar disorder as it appears independently from illness features, presents similarly in BD and BD-R groups and differs from impulsivity.

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Is risk-taking a shared trait in bipolar disorder? Study of people with bipolar I and their close relatives

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