title: Mesiotemporal volume loss associated with disorder severity: a VBM study in borderline personality disorder.
abstract: Results of MRI volumetry in Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) are inconsistent. Some, but not all, studies reported decreased hippocampus, amygdala, and/or prefrontal volumes. In the current study, we used rater-independent voxel-based morphometry (VBM) in 33 female BPD patients and 33 healthy women. We measured gray matter (GM) volumes of the whole brain and of three volumes of interest (VOI), i.e., the hippocampus/parahippocampal gyrus, the amygdala and the anterior cingulate gyrus (ACC). Analyses were conducted using lifetime diagnoses of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depression (MD) as covariates. We used adversive childhood experiences and the numbers of BPD criteria (as an indicator of disorder severity) to investigate associations with GM volumes. We did not find volume differences between BPD patients and healthy subject, neither of the whole brain nor of the three VOIs, independent of presence or absence of comorbid PTSD and MD. We also did not find a relationship between childhood maltreatment and the patients' brain volumes. However, within the patient group, the number of BPD criteria fulfilled was inversely correlated with left hippocampal/parahippocampal volume (x=-32, y=-23, z=-18, k=496, t=5.08, p=.007). Consequently, mesiotemporal GM volumes do not seem to differentiate patients from healthy subjects, but might be associated with symptom severity within the BPD group.
authors.affiliation: Mara Hospital, Bethel Epilepsy Center, MRI Unit, Bielefeld, Germany ; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Bethel, Evangelisches Krankenhaus Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany.
authors.forename: Kirsten
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Labudda
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Bethel, Evangelisches Krankenhaus Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kreisel
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Bethel, Evangelisches Krankenhaus Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Beblo
authors.affiliation: Mara Hospital, Bethel Epilepsy Center, MRI Unit, Bielefeld, Germany.
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mertens
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Bethel, Evangelisches Krankenhaus Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany.
authors.forename: Oleg
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kurlandchikov
authors.affiliation: Mara Hospital, Bethel Epilepsy Center, MRI Unit, Bielefeld, Germany.
authors.forename: Christian G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Bien
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Bethel, Evangelisches Krankenhaus Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Driessen
authors.affiliation: Mara Hospital, Bethel Epilepsy Center, MRI Unit, Bielefeld, Germany.
authors.forename: Friedrich G
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: Woermann
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology* / Q000523:psychology; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009929:Organ Size; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000150:complications