Inhibition errors in borderline personality disorder with psychotic-like symptoms.
BACKGROUND
The aim of this study was to examine whether patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) have deficits in cognitive inhibition as measured with an anti-saccade eye task similar to patients with schizophrenia (Sz). Furthermore, we investigated whether these inhibition errors were more prominent among BPD patients with psychotic-like symptoms than among BPD patients without these symptoms.


METHODS
An anti-saccade task was administered in 32 BPD patients (among them, 20 had with psychotic-like symptoms), 21 patients with recent onset schizophrenia (Sz), and 25 healthy controls (HC). The percentage inhibition errors in the anti-saccade task were the primary outcome variable, in addition, the percentage of anticipatory errors was measured.


RESULTS
Sz patients showed more inhibition errors than HC and BPD (p<.001 and p<.05 resp.), whereas BPD patients scored in between Sz and HC. The difference with HC was significant as well (p<.05). BPD patients with psychotic-like symptoms showed more inhibition errors than BPD patients without these symptoms (p<.05). BPD patients showed more anticipatory errors than HC (p<.001), whereas Sz patients did not (p<.26).


CONCLUSIONS
The data demonstrate that inhibition deficits, as measured with anti-saccadic eye movement task, may be characteristic among BPD patients and in a larger extent in patients with psychotic-like symptoms. This inhibition deficit was distinct from a general predisposition to response impulsively as measured by anticipatory errors, which was found in the whole group of BPD patients. Psychotic-like symptoms may be an important target dimension for future BPD research and treatment.
Grootens
Koen P
KP
Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, Dept. of Psychiatry, The Netherlands. k.grootens@psy.umcn.nl
van Luijtelaar
Gilles
G
Buitelaar
Jan K
JK
van der Laan
Annemieke
A
Hummelen
Jacobus W
JW
Verkes
Robbert J
RJ
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000150:complications*; D004585:Electrooculography / Q000379:methods; D005133:Eye Movements / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011594:Psychometrics; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000191:economics*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000503:physiopathology