title: Emotion-induced memory dysfunction in borderline personality disorder.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although emotional dysregulation is a core problem in borderline personality disorder (BPD), few neuropsychological studies have evaluated the impact of emotion. The present study aimed at the comprehensive investigation of verbal memory functions with and without emotionally relevant interference in BPD. BPD patients were expected to perform as well as healthy subjects in standard memory tasks but to show fewer capacities to control for emotionally negative interference.
  
  
  METHODS
  47 patients with BPD and 70 healthy control subjects participated. An experimental task assessed verbal memory with respect to standard and emotionally relevant and neutral interference learning conditions. Applied standard tests covered working memory, delayed memory, and word fluency.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Memory performances of BPD patients were impaired when negatively valenced interference was conducted but normal in all other conditions. These results remained stable after controlling for comorbid major depression and posttraumatic stress disorder.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present findings suggest no general impairment of verbal memory functions in BPD but control and inhibition of interference by emotionally significant material seem to be disturbed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, LVR University Hospital Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany. christoph.mensebach@lvr.de
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mensebach
authors.forename: Katja
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wingenfeld
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Driessen
authors.forename: Nina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rullkoetter
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Schlosser
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Steil
authors.forename: Camille
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schaffrath
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bulla-Hellwig
authors.forename: Hans-J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Markowitsch
authors.forename: Friedrich G
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: Woermann
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Beblo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D018579:Patient Selection; D012647:Self-Assessment