title: Neurochemical alterations in women with borderline personality disorder and comorbid attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is associated with structural and functional brain changes. Recent models and findings refer to alterations of glutamate and total N-acetylaspartate (tNAA) in this condition.
  
  
  METHODS
  Absolute quantities of tNAA, creatine, glutamate, glutamine, myoinositol and total choline were measured using 3 Tesla magnetic resonance spectroscopy of the left anterior cingulate cortex and the left cerebellum in 14 unmedicated women with BPD and comorbid attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and 18 healthy women. Both groups were matched with respect to age, education and premorbid intelligence.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the anterior cingulate, we found significantly higher tNAA and glutamate concentrations and a trend for lower glutamine levels in women with BPD and comorbid ADHD as compared to healthy women. There were no significant group differences in cerebellar metabolite concentrations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Glutamatergic changes in the anterior cingulate may be associated with BPD and comorbid ADHD. Increased anterior cingulate tNAA may indicate disturbed energy metabolism or impaired frontal maturation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany. nicolas.ruesch@uniklinik-freiburg.de
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rüsch
authors.forename: Miriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boeker
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Büchert
authors.forename: Volkmar
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Glauche
authors.forename: Carl
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bohrmann
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ebert
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lieb
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hennig
authors.forename: Ludger
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tebartz Van Elst
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001224:Aspartic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000032:analysis; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism*; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism*; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000737:chemistry; D002794:Choline / Q000032:analysis; D003401:Creatine / Q000032:analysis; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000032:analysis; D005973:Glutamine / Q000032:analysis; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D007294:Inositol / Q000032:analysis; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
chemical_list: D005973:Glutamine; D001224:Aspartic Acid; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D007294:Inositol; C000179:N-acetylaspartate; D003401:Creatine; D002794:Choline