title: Structural alterations in white-matter tracts connecting (para-)limbic and prefrontal brain regions in borderline personality disorder.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A dysfunctional network of prefrontal and (para-)limbic brain region has been suggested to underlie emotional dysregulation in borderline personality disorder (BPD). Abnormal activity in this network may be due to structural alterations in white-matter tracts connecting prefrontal and (para-)limbic brain regions. To test this hypothesis, we investigated the structural integrity of major white-matter tracts connecting these regions in BPD.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using diffusion tensor imaging, we investigated fractional anisotropy (FA), axonal anisotropy (AD) and radial diffusivity (RD) in the uncinate fasciculus, the major white-matter tract connecting (para-)limbic and prefrontal brain regions, in 26 healthy controls (HC) and 26 BPD participants. To clarify the specificity of possible white-matter alterations among HC and BPD participants, FA, AD and RD were also investigated in the cingulum.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found distinct structural alterations in the uncinate fasciculus but not in the cingulum of BPD participants. Compared to HC participants, BPD participants showed lower FA and higher RD in the uncinate fasciculus. By contrast, AD did not differ in the uncinate fasciculus of HC and BPD participants.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our finding of abnormal FA and RD in the uncinate fasciculus indicates distinct white-matter alterations in BPD, presumably due to stress-induced myelin degeneration in the aftermath of stressful life events. Although these alterations may account for abnormal activity in brain regions implicated in emotion dysregulation, such as the amygdala, anterior cingulate cortex and prefrontal cortex, it remains to be determined whether these alterations are specific for BPD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy,University of Greifswald,Germany.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lischke
authors.affiliation: Functional Imaging,Center for Diagnostic Radiology and Neuroradiology,University of Greifswald,Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Domin
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy,University of Greifswald,Germany.
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Freyberger
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy,University of Greifswald,Germany.
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Grabe
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy,University of Greifswald,Germany.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mentel
authors.affiliation: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy,University of Ulm,Germany.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bernheim
authors.affiliation: Functional Imaging,Center for Diagnostic Radiology and Neuroradiology,University of Greifswald,Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lotze
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000679:Amygdala / Q000473:pathology*; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000473:pathology*; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging; D005260:Female; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000473:pathology; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000473:pathology*; D066127:White Matter / Q000473:pathology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Amygdala; anterior cingulate cortex; borderline personality disorder; diffusion tensor imaging; prefrontal cortex; uncinate fasciculus; white matter