Sensory Profile of Bipolar patients with a Neurodevelopmental Phenotype

Abstract Background Bipolar disorder (BD) is increasingly conceptualized as a heterogeneous condition with a neurodevelopmental phenotype (NDP) identifying a subgroup with early neurodevelopmental vulnerability and poorer clinical outcomes. Sensory processing (SP) abnormalities are a core feature of neurodevelopmental disorders but remain poorly characterized in BD and may reflect underlying neurodevelopmental liability. We examined whether NDP load is associated with specific SP alterations in euthymic BD patients and whether NDP-based stratification explains SP variability better than conventional BD subtype (BD 1/2). Methods We assessed 102 euthymic BD patients and 45 healthy controls (HC) using the Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile (AASP). NDP load (0–3) was computed from nine clinical variables grouped into neonatal, comorbidity, and neurodevelopmental clusters; a median split defined BD without NDP (BD) and BD with NDP (BD-ND). Associations between NDP load and AASP quadrants were analyzed using Spearman correlations with FDR correction. Group differences (BD, BD-ND, HC) were assessed using Welch’s ANOVA and post-hoc tests. Nested and multivariable linear regressions examined whether NDP classification explained SP variance beyond BD subtype, adjusting for age, sex, anxiety, and residual mood symptoms. Results Higher NDP load correlated with greater low registration (ρ=0.35, p <0.001, q =0.004), sensory sensitivity (ρ=0.30, p =0.001, q =0.004), and sensation avoiding (ρ=0.23, p =0.014, q =0.040), but not sensation seeking. BD-ND showed higher low registration, sensory sensitivity, and sensation avoiding than BD and HC (all qs <0.01). NDP classification explained more SP variance than BD subtype; with robust associations after adjustment. Conclusions Sensory processing alterations in BD are dimensionally associated with neurodevelopmental load and more accurately captured by NDP-based stratification than diagnostic subtype. SP alterations may represent a transdiagnostic marker of neurodevelopmental liability within BD, supporting biologically informed stratification approaches.