Sleep EEG findings in ICD-10 borderline personality disorder in Egypt.
BACKGROUND
Previous work has demonstrated that patients with borderline personality disorder show some similarities to patients with major depression, especially regarding their sleep profile. This study aimed at investigating such a hypothesis in an Egyptian sample, considering the possible influence of cultural differences.


METHODS
All night polysomnographic assessments were made for 20 ICD-10 diagnosed borderline patients (without co-morbid depression), in addition to 20 patients with major depression and 20 healthy matched controls.


RESULTS
The two patient groups differed significantly from controls in their sleep profile, especially regarding sleep continuity measures, decreased SWS and REM sleep abnormalities. High similarity was found in EEG sleep profile of the two patient groups, though the changes were more robust in patients with depression.


CONCLUSIONS
The small number of subjects precluded finer analyses of sleep microstructure by depressive symptoms.


CONCLUSIONS
The great similarity in EEG sleep profile between borderline personality disorder patients and patients with major depression suggests a common biological origin for both conditions, with the difference being 'quantitative' rather than 'qualitative'. Our data are all the more compelling in that the presumed personality disturbance in the Egyptian culture manifests neurophysiologically as in the Western world.
Asaad
Tarek
T
Ain Shams University, Institute of Psychiatry, 3 Shawarby St. Kasr El Nile, Cairo, Egypt.
Okasha
Tarek
T
Okasha
Ahmed
A
D000328:Adult; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D003863:Depression / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004534:Egypt / Q000208:ethnology; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017286:Polysomnography; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology