Aim: To investigate attention, memory, verbal-linguistic ability, and executive functions in symptom-free young offspring having a parent with bipolar I disorder (BD1O) in comparison with healthy controls (CO).

Materials and methods: Thirty symptom-free BD1O and 37 CO were recruited. The groups (both all participants and those ≥11 years of age) were well-matched for age, sex, IQ, and years of education. The neurocognitive battery included the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning and Memory Test, Controlled Word Association Test, Digit Span Test, Trail Making Test, Auditory Consonant Trigram Test, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Stroop Test, and Test of Variables of Attention.

Results: The BD1O group demonstrated impairments in psychomotor speed, focused attention, verbal attention, phonemic verbal fluency, short-term memory, and learning functions and performed marginally worse in divided attention, information processing, and working memory. No group difference was found in sustained attention, executive functions, or alternating attention.

Conclusion: Divided attention, information processing, and working memory seem to be important in evaluating the cognitive pathology before the onset of affective psychopathology.