title: Lower Oxytocin Plasma Levels in Borderline Patients with Unresolved Attachment Representations.
abstract: Interpersonal problems and affective dysregulation are core characteristics of borderline personality disorder (BPD). BPD patients predominantly show unresolved attachment representations. The oxytocin (OT) system is associated with human social attachment and affiliative behavior, and OT dysregulation may be related to distinct attachment characteristics. Here, we investigated whether attachment representations are related to peripheral OT levels in BPD patients. Twenty-one female BPD patients and 20 age-, gender-, and education-matched healthy controls (HCs) were assessed with clinical scales and measures of interpersonal and attachment-related characteristics, including the Adult Attachment Projective Picture System (AAP). Plasma OT concentrations were measured prior to and during social exclusion in a virtual ball tossing game (Cyberball). The majority of BPD patients (63.2%) but no HCs showed unresolved (disorganized) attachment representations. In this subgroup of patients, baseline OT plasma levels were significantly lower than in BPD patients with organized attachment representations. This pilot study extends previous findings of altered OT regulation in BPD as a putative key mechanism underlying interpersonal dysregulation. Our results provide first evidence that altered OT plasma levels are related to disorganized attachment representations in BPD patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jobst
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Padberg
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Maria-Christine
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Mauer
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Tanja
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Daltrozzo
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bauriedl-Schmidt
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Lena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sabass
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Nina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sarubin
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Falkai
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Babette
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Renneberg
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zill
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Freie Universität BerlinBerlin, Germany; Department of Clinical Psychology II, Institute of Psychology, University of InnsbruckInnsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: Manuela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gander
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Freie Universität BerlinBerlin, Germany; Department of Clinical Psychology II, Institute of Psychology, University of InnsbruckInnsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Buchheim
keywords: attachment representation; borderline personality disorder; cyberball; oxytocin; social exclusion; social pain