title: Neurological soft signs in adolescents with borderline personality traits.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study investigated the prevalence and severity of neurological soft signs (NSS), and their relationships with borderline personality (BP) traits in adolescents.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty-nine adolescents with BP traits (BP-trait group), and 89 adolescents without traits of any personality disorder (control group), were recruited in China. BP traits were diagnosed by the BPD subscale of the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire for the DSM-IV (PDQ-4+). The soft sign subscales of the Cambridge Neurological Inventory were administered to all participants. The group differences in prevalence of soft signs and in NSS scores were analyzed, as well as the associations between the NSS scale and borderline personality traits.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Five soft signs were significantly more frequent in adolescents with BP traits. A total of 59.6% of adolescents with BP traits exhibited at least 1 NSS, whereas only 34.8% of adolescents without BP traits did (p < 0.01). A total of 42.7% of adolescents in the BP-trait group exhibited at least 2 NSS, while only 16.9% of adolescents without BP traits did (p < 0.001). Moreover, adolescents with BP traits showed more sensory integration, disinhibition, total neurological soft signs, left-side soft signs, and right-side soft signs, than adolescents without BP traits. Sensory integration and disinhibition were positively associated with BP traits.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest that adolescents with BP traits may have a nonfocal abnormality of the central nervous system.
authors.affiliation: Medical Psychological Institute, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University , Changsha , P. R. China.
authors.forename: Jinqiang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.forename: Xiongzhao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Jinyao
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yi
authors.forename: Shuqiao
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.forename: Muli
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Mei
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bai
authors.forename: Lingyan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yuping
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D010555:Personality Inventory; D015995:Prevalence
keywords: Neurological soft signs; adolescents; borderline personality; traits