Brain perfusion SPECT in impulsivity-related personality disorders.
BACKGROUND
Impulsive behaviours in patients with cluster B personality disorders are associated with low glucose metabolism and regional cerebral blood flow in the frontal cortex and subcortical structures. The aim of this study is to confirm the presence of a particular pattern of brain perfusion in a sample of borderline (BPD) and anti-social personality disorder (ASPD) patients using brain perfusion single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT).


METHODS
A brain perfusion SPECT study was performed in 37 patients with BPD or ASPD (and no Axis I diagnosis) and 34 healthy control participants. Data were acquired on a triple head Toshiba gamma camera. Scatter and attenuation correction was done. Reconstructed SPECT images were analyzed by Statistical Parametrical Mapping (SPM99).


RESULTS
There were no significant differences in age and gender distributions between the patients and the healthy controls. With regard to the functional imaging results, patients were characterized by a reduced regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in right temporal and prefrontal brain areas, including the right lateral temporal cortex (BA 21), the right frontopolar cortex (BA 10) and the right ventrolateral prefontal cortex (BA 47).


CONCLUSIONS
Patients with BPD and ASPD who showed impulsive behaviour have diminished rCBF in areas of the right prefrontal and temporal cortex.
Goethals
Ingeborg
I
Division of Nuclear Medicine, Polikliniek 7, Ghent University Hospital, De Pintelaan 185, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium.
Audenaert
Kurt
K
Jacobs
Filip
F
Van den Eynde
Fréderique
F
Bernagie
Katrien
K
Kolindou
Anna
A
Vervaet
Myriam
M
Dierckx
Rudi
R
Van Heeringen
Cees
C
D000328:Adult; D000987:Antisocial Personality Disorder / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000098:blood supply*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007175:Impulsive Behavior / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon