title: Aberrant connectivity of resting-state networks in borderline personality disorder.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Several functional neuroimaging studies have reported regionally abnormal activation of the frontal cortex in individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD) during cognitive and affective task performance. However, little is known about neural function in individuals with BPD during the resting state. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), this study investigated the functional connectivity of prefrontal and limbic networks in patients with BPD.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between January 2009 and March 2010, we investigated patients with BPD according to DSM-IV criteria and healthy controls by means of resting-state fMRI. The data were analyzed using a spatial group independent component analysis, and random effects t tests were used to compare spatial components between groups (p < 0.005, uncorrected).
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 17 women with BPD and 17 female healthy controls enrolled in this study. Within a network comprising cortical midline regions ("default mode network"), patients with BPD showed an increase in functional connectivity in the left frontopolar cortex (FPC) and the left insula, whereas decreased connectivity was found in the left cuneus. Within a network comprising predominantly right lateral prefrontal and bilateral parietal regions, patients with BPD showed decreased connectivity of the left inferior parietal lobule and the right middle temporal cortex compared with healthy controls. Two networks comprising lateral prefrontal and cingulate regions did not exhibit significant between-group differences. We found correlations between functional connectivity of the FPC and measures of impulsivity as well as between connectivity of the insula/cuneus and dissociation tension.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Co-occurrent axis I disorders and medication use in this sample of patients with BPD have to be considered as potential limitations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data suggest that abnormal functional connectivity of temporally coherent resting-state networks may underlie certain symptom clusters in patients with BPD.
authors.affiliation: Center of Psychosocial Medicine, Department of General Psychiatry, University of Heidelberg, Germany. christian.wolf@med.uni-heidelberg.de
authors.forename: Robert Christian
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Wolf
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sambataro
authors.forename: Nenad
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Vasic
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schmid
authors.forename: Philipp Arthur
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Thomann
authors.forename: Sara Doris
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Bienentreu
authors.forename: Nadine Donata
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Wolf
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004213:Dissociative Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D059907:Functional Neuroimaging / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007175:Impulsive Behavior / Q000503:physiopathology; D008032:Limbic System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000503:physiopathology; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012146:Rest / Q000502:physiology