title: Mapping the brain correlates of borderline personality disorder: A functional neuroimaging meta-analysis of resting state studies.
abstract: Altered intrinsic function of the brain has been implicated in Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). Nonetheless, imaging studies have yielded inconsistent alterations of brain function. To investigate the neural activity at rest in BPD, we conducted a set of meta-analyses of brain imaging studies performed at rest.
  
  
  
  A total of seven functional imaging studies (152 patients with BPD and 147 control subjects) were combined using whole-brain Signed Differential Mapping meta-analyses. Furthermore, two conjunction meta-analyses of neural activity at rest were also performed: with neural activity changes during emotional processing, and with structural differences, respectively.
  
  
  
  We found altered neural activity in the regions of the default mode network (DMN) in BPD. Within the regions of the midline core DMN, patients with BPD showed greater activity in the anterior as well as in the posterior midline hubs relative to controls. Conversely, in the regions of the dorsal DMN they showed reduced activity compared to controls in the right lateral temporal complex and bilaterally in the orbitofrontal cortex. Increased activity in the precuneus was observed both at rest and during emotional processing. Reduced neural activity at rest in lateral temporal complex was associated with smaller volume of this area.
  
  
  
  Heterogeneity across imaging studies.
  
  
  
  Altered activity in the regions of the midline core as well as of the dorsal subsystem of the DMN may reflect difficulties with interpersonal and affective regulation in BPD. These findings suggest that changes in spontaneous neural activity could underlie core symptoms in BPD.
authors.affiliation: Brain Center for Motor and Social Cognition, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia@UniPR, Parma, Italy; Neuroscience and Brain Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genoa, Italy.
authors.forename: Eleonora
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Visintin
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Unit of Psychiatry, University of Parma, Italy.
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: De Panfilis
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Ophthalmology and Genetics, Unit of Psychiatry, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Amore
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental and Clinical Medical Sciences (DISM), University of Udine, Udine, Italy.
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Balestrieri
authors.affiliation: Center for Psychosocial Medicine, Department of General Psychiatry, Heidelberg University, Germany.
authors.forename: Robert Christian
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Wolf
authors.affiliation: Brain Center for Motor and Social Cognition, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia@UniPR, Parma, Italy; Department of Experimental and Clinical Medical Sciences (DISM), University of Udine, Udine, Italy. Electronic address: fabio.sambataro@uniud.it.
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sambataro
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D059907:Functional Neuroimaging / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D012146:Rest
keywords: Borderline personality disorder; Magnetic resonance imaging; Meta-analysis; Positron emission tomography; Resting state