Neural correlates of impaired emotional discrimination in borderline personality disorder: an fMRI study.
A common approach to study neuronal aspects of emotional reactivity of borderline personality disorder (BPD) is to study the brain response to emotional faces with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). 10 BPD patients and 10 matched controls were submitted to an emotional discrimination task in which subjects had to identify an emotional face from a neutral face while fMRI data was acquired. BPD patients made more mistakes than controls in the discrimination task when negative faces were involved. The emotional discrimination task activated brain areas that are known to participate in processing of emotional faces (fusiform gyrus, insula and amygdala) regardless of the psychiatric condition. Additionally, BPD showed higher activation than controls in the middle and inferior temporal cortical areas, brain areas that participate in the processing of face features that carry emotional value. Furthermore, activity at this site correlated with impulsivity score in the Zuckerman-Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire. Our findings may be related to cognitive impairment that may be characteristic of the disorder.
Guitart-Masip
Marc
M
Cognitive Neuroscience Research Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Forensic Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain.
Pascual
Juan Carlos
JC
Carmona
Susanna
S
Hoekzema
Elseline
E
Bergé
Daniel
D
Pérez
Víctor
V
Soler
Joaquim
J
Soliva
Joan Carles
JC
Rovira
Mariana
M
Bulbena
Antoni
A
Vilarroya
Oscar
O
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001931:Brain Mapping; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005149:Facial Expression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D055815:Young Adult
D010100:Oxygen