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Camacho-Téllez V, Castro MN, Wainsztein AE, Goldberg X, De Pino G, Costanzo EY, Cardoner N, Menchón JM, Soriano-Mas C, Guinjoan SM, Villarreal MF. Childhood adversity modulates structural brain changes in borderline personality but not in major depression disorder. Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging 2024; 340:111803. [PMID: 38460393 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2024.111803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2023] [Revised: 11/24/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 03/11/2024]
Abstract
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) negatively affect the function and structure of emotion brain circuits, increasing the risk of various psychiatric disorders. It is unclear if ACEs show disorder specificity with respect to their effects on brain structure. We aimed to investigate whether the structural brain effects of ACEs differ between patients with major depression (MDD) and borderline personality disorder (BPD). These disorders share many symptoms but likely have different etiologies. To achieve our goal, we obtained structural 3T-MRI images from 20 healthy controls (HC), 19 MDD patients, and 18 BPD patients, and measured cortical thickness and subcortical gray matter volumes. We utilized the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) questionnaire to quantify self-reported exposure to childhood trauma. Our findings suggest that individuals with MDD exhibit a smaller cortical thickness when compared to those with BPD. However, ACEs showed a significantly affected relationship with cortical thickness in BPD but not in MDD. ACEs were found to be associated with thinning in cortical regions involved in emotional behavior in BPD, whereas HC showed an opposite association. Our results suggest a potential mechanism of ACE effects on psychopathology involving changes in brain structure. These findings highlight the importance of early detection and intervention strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vicente Camacho-Téllez
- Grupo de Investigación en Neurociencias Aplicadas a las Alteraciones de la Conducta (Grupo INAAC), Instituto de Neurociencias Fleni-CONICET (INEU), Argentina; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina; Departamento de Salud Mental, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), Argentina
| | - Mariana N Castro
- Grupo de Investigación en Neurociencias Aplicadas a las Alteraciones de la Conducta (Grupo INAAC), Instituto de Neurociencias Fleni-CONICET (INEU), Argentina; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina; Departamento de Salud Mental, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), Argentina.
| | - Agustina E Wainsztein
- Grupo de Investigación en Neurociencias Aplicadas a las Alteraciones de la Conducta (Grupo INAAC), Instituto de Neurociencias Fleni-CONICET (INEU), Argentina; Servicio de Psiquiatría, Fleni, Argentina
| | - Ximena Goldberg
- Mental Health Department, Institut d'Investigació i Innovació Parc Taulí I3PT, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Sabadell, Spain; CIBERSAM, Carlos III Health Institute, Madrid, Spain; ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Gabriela De Pino
- Grupo de Investigación en Neurociencias Aplicadas a las Alteraciones de la Conducta (Grupo INAAC), Instituto de Neurociencias Fleni-CONICET (INEU), Argentina; Laboratorio de Neuroimágenes, Departamento de Imágenes, Fleni, Argentina; Escuela de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad Nacional de San Martín, Argentina
| | - Elsa Y Costanzo
- Departamento de Salud Mental, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), Argentina; Servicio de Psiquiatría, Fleni, Argentina
| | - Narcís Cardoner
- CIBERSAM, Carlos III Health Institute, Madrid, Spain; Sant Pau Mental Health Research Group, Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica Sant Pau (IIB-Sant Pau), Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain; Department of Psychiatry and Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine Bellaterra, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - José M Menchón
- CIBERSAM, Carlos III Health Institute, Madrid, Spain; Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute-IDIBELL, Department of Psychiatry, Bellvitge University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain; Department of Clinical Sciences, Bellvitge Campus, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Carles Soriano-Mas
- CIBERSAM, Carlos III Health Institute, Madrid, Spain; Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute-IDIBELL, Department of Psychiatry, Bellvitge University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain; Department of Social Psychology and Quantitative Psychology, Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Salvador M Guinjoan
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma University, and Oxley College, Tulsa University, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Mirta F Villarreal
- Grupo de Investigación en Neurociencias Aplicadas a las Alteraciones de la Conducta (Grupo INAAC), Instituto de Neurociencias Fleni-CONICET (INEU), Argentina; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina; Departamento de Física, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, UBA, Argentina
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Schneider I, Herpertz SC, Ueltzhöffer K, Neukel C. Stress and reward in the maternal brain of mothers with borderline personality disorder: a script-based fMRI study. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2024; 274:117-127. [PMID: 37354380 PMCID: PMC10786970 DOI: 10.1007/s00406-023-01634-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 05/29/2023] [Indexed: 06/26/2023]
Abstract
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is associated with altered neural activity in regions of salience and emotion regulation. An exaggerated sensitization to emotionally salient situations, increased experience of emotions, and dysfunctional regulative abilities could be reasons for increased distress also during parenting. Mothers with BPD tend to have less reciprocal mother-child interactions (MCI) and reveal altered cortisol and oxytocin reactivity in the interaction with their child, which could indicate altered processing of stress and reward. Here, we studied underlying neural mechanisms of disrupted MCI in BPD. Twenty-five mothers with BPD and 28 healthy mothers participated in a script-driven imagery functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)-paradigm. Scripts described stressful or rewarding MCI with the own child, or situations in which the mother was alone. Mothers with BPD showed larger activities in the bilateral insula and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) compared to healthy mothers during the imagination of MCI and non-MCI. Already in the precursory phase while listening to the scripts, a similar pattern emerged with stronger activity in the left anterior insula (AINS), but not in the ACC. This AINS activity correlated negatively with the quality of real-life MCI for mothers with BPD. Mothers with BPD reported lower affect and higher arousal. An exaggerated sensitization to different, emotionally salient situations together with dysfunctional emotion regulation abilities, as reflected by increased insula and ACC activity, might hinder sensitive maternal behavior in mothers with BPD. These results underline the importance for psychotherapeutic interventions to improve emotional hyperarousal and emotion regulation in patients with BPD, especially in affected mothers caring for young children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabella Schneider
- Department of General Psychiatry, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, Heidelberg University, Voßstr. 4, 69115, Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Sabine C Herpertz
- Department of General Psychiatry, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, Heidelberg University, Voßstr. 4, 69115, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Kai Ueltzhöffer
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Genome Biology Unit, Meyerhofstr. 1, 69117, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Corinne Neukel
- Department of General Psychiatry, Center for Psychosocial Medicine, Heidelberg University, Voßstr. 4, 69115, Heidelberg, Germany
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Xiao Q, Yi X, Fu Y, Jiang F, Zhang Z, Huang Q, Han Z, Chen BT. Altered brain activity and childhood trauma in Chinese adolescents with borderline personality disorder. J Affect Disord 2023; 323:435-443. [PMID: 36493941 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2022.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Revised: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 12/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Childhood trauma may cause borderline personality disorder (BPD). The aim of this study was to assess functional alteration and its association with childhood trauma in Chinese adolescents with BPD. METHODS A total of 187 adolescents with BPD aged 12-17 years and 207 age and gender- matched healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled into this study. The sample consisted of 50 adolescents with BPD and 21 HCs underwent brain resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). The rs-fMRI data was analyzed for both neural activity as indicated by amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) and seed-based functional connectivity (FC). Clinical assessment for childhood trauma, impulsivity, and depression was also performed. Correlative analysis of functional alterations with childhood trauma assessment were performed. RESULTS Adolescents with BPD had significantly higher rate of all assessed childhood trauma than the HC group (P < 0.001). Most adolescents with BPD (61.5 %) had emotional neglect, which was the most commonly seen type of childhood trauma. Compared with HCs, adolescents with BPD showed decreased ALFF in the cortical regions including the left superior frontal gyrus and right middle occipital gyrus, and default mode network (DMN) regions including the left angular gyrus and medial superior frontal gyrus. Adolescents with BPD also showed enhanced ALFF in the limbic system (left hippocampus, insula, thalamus) (P < 0.05, FWE correction, cluster size ≥100). There were significant correlations between the insula ALFF and childhood trauma assessment for emotional neglect, physical abuse and physical neglect (P < 0.01). Moreover, adolescents with BPD showed increased FC between the left insula and right cortical regions (voxel P < 0.001, cluster P < 0.05, FWE correction). LIMITATIONS The sample size was small. This cohort had patients with more severe BPD symptoms and some had comorbidities such as anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder. CONCLUSIONS There were alterations of brain activity as indicated by ALFF in the limbic - cortical circuit and DMN regions in adolescents with BPD and the activity in the left insula was correlated with emotional neglect. In addition, the FC between the left insula and the limbic - prefrontal circuit was enhanced. These results implicate that the functional alterations of insula may serve as a potential neuroimaging biomarker for adolescents with BPD who suffered from childhood trauma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Xiao
- Mental Health Center of Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, Hunan, PR China; National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, Hunan, PR China
| | - Xiaoping Yi
- Department of Radiology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, Hunan, PR China; National Engineering Research Center of Personalized Diagnostic and Therapeutic Technology, Xiangya Hospital, Changsha 410008, Hunan, PR China; Hunan Key Laboratory of Skin Cancer and Psoriasis, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, Hunan, PR China; Hunan Engineering Research Center of Skin Health and Disease, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, Hunan, PR China; Department of Dermatology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, Hunan, PR China.
| | - Yan Fu
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, Hunan, PR China; Department of Radiology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, Hunan, PR China
| | - Furong Jiang
- Mental Health Center of Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, Hunan, PR China
| | - Zhejia Zhang
- Department of General Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, Hunan, PR China
| | - Qinlin Huang
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha 410008, Hunan, PR China
| | - Zaide Han
- Department of Radiology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, Hunan, PR China
| | - Bihong T Chen
- Department of Diagnostic Radiology, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA, USA
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Improving treatment outcomes for borderline personality disorder: what can we learn from biomarker studies of psychotherapy? Curr Opin Psychiatry 2023; 36:67-74. [PMID: 36017562 DOI: 10.1097/yco.0000000000000820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a severe and common psychiatric disorder and though evidence-based psychotherapies are effective, rates of treatment nonresponse are as high as 50%. Treatment studies may benefit from interdisciplinary approaches from neuroscience and genetics research that could generate novel insights into treatment mechanisms and tailoring interventions to the individual. RECENT FINDINGS We provide a timely update to the small but growing body of literature investigating neurobiological and epigenetic changes and using biomarkers to predict outcomes from evidence-based psychotherapies for BPD. Using a rapid review methodology, we identified eight new studies, updating our earlier 2018 systematic review. Across all studies, neuroimaging ( n = 18) and genetics studies ( n = 4) provide data from 735 participants diagnosed with BPD (mean sample size across studies = 33.4, range 2-115). SUMMARY We report further evidence for psychotherapy-related alterations of neural activation and connectivity in regions and networks relating to executive control, emotion regulation, and self/interpersonal functioning in BPD. Emerging evidence also shows epigenetic changes following treatment. Future large-scale multisite studies may help to delineate multilevel treatment targets to inform intervention design, selection, and monitoring for the individual patient via integration of knowledge generated through clinical, neuroscience, and genetics research.
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Aberrant Structural Connectivity of the Triple Network System in Borderline Personality Disorder Is Associated with Behavioral Dysregulation. J Clin Med 2022; 11:jcm11071757. [PMID: 35407365 PMCID: PMC8999477 DOI: 10.3390/jcm11071757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2022] [Revised: 03/18/2022] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Core symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) are associated to aberrant connectivity of the triple network system (salience network [SN], default mode network [DMN], executive control network [ECN]). While functional abnormalities are widely reported, structural connectivity (SC) and anatomical changes have not yet been investigated. Here, we explored the triple network’s SC, structure, and its association with BPD clinical features. Methods: A total of 60 BPD and 26 healthy controls (HC) underwent a multidomain neuropsychological and multimodal MRI (diffusion- and T1-weighted imaging) assessment. Metrics (fractional anisotropy [FA], mean diffusivity [MD], cortical thickness) were extracted from SN, DMN, ECN (triple network), and visual network (control network) using established atlases. Multivariate general linear models were conducted to assess group differences in metrics and associations with clinical features. Results: Patients showed increased MD in the anterior SN, dorsal DMN, and right ECN compared to HC. Diffusivity increases were more pronounced in patients with higher behavioral dysregulation, i.e., suicidal attempting, self-harm, and aggressiveness. No differences were detected in network structure. Conclusions: These results indicate that the triple network system is impaired in BPD at the microstructural level. The preferential involvement of anterior and right-lateralized subsystems and their clinical association suggests that these abnormalities could contribute to behavioral dysregulation.
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Fernando SC, Beblo T, Lamers A, Schlosser N, Woermann FG, Driessen M, Toepper M. Neural correlates of emotion acceptance and suppression in borderline personality disorder. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:1066218. [PMID: 36704727 PMCID: PMC9871986 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1066218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Emotion dysregulation is a central feature of borderline personality disorder (BPD). Since impaired emotion regulation contributes to disturbed emotion functioning in BPD, it is crucial to study underlying neural activity. The current study aimed at investigating the neural correlates of two emotion regulation strategies, namely emotion acceptance and suppression, which are both important treatment targets in BPD. METHODS Twenty-one women with BPD and 23 female healthy control participants performed an emotion regulation task during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). While watching fearful movie clips, participants were instructed to either accept or to suppress upcoming emotions compared to passive viewing. RESULTS Results revealed acceptance-related insular underactivation and suppression-related caudate overactivation in subjects with BPD during the emotion regulation task. CONCLUSION This is a first study on the neural correlates of emotion acceptance and suppression in BPD. Altered insula functioning during emotion acceptance may reflect impairments in emotional awareness in BPD. Increased caudate activity is linked to habitual motor and cognitive processes and therefore may accord to the well-established routine in BPD patients to suppress emotional experiences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Carvalho Fernando
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Evangelisches Klinikum Bethel, University of Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Thomas Beblo
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Evangelisches Klinikum Bethel, University of Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Agnes Lamers
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Evangelisches Klinikum Bethel, University of Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Nicole Schlosser
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Evangelisches Klinikum Bethel, University of Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Friedrich G Woermann
- Epilepsy Center Bethel, Mara Hospital, University of Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Martin Driessen
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Evangelisches Klinikum Bethel, University of Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Max Toepper
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Evangelisches Klinikum Bethel, University of Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany
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