Mapping the brain correlates of borderline personality disorder: A functional neuroimaging meta-analysis of resting state studies

Abstract

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 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 in bilateral 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.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.

Whole‐brain microstructural white matter alterations in borderline personality disorder patients

“…Taken together, our results revealed the presence of WM alterations predominantly in posterior tracts. In line with recent structural and functional neuroimaging studies on BPD, 17,20,21,50,51 our findings support the idea that BPD structural brain abnormalities may be not limited to the cortico-cortical connectivity and to the frontolimbic pathway and suggest that the model of an imbalance between top-down frontal control system and bottom-up limbic reactivity should be reinterpreted.…”

Is Our Self Related to Personality? A Neuropsychodynamic Model

“…At a neurobiological level we hypothesize that the whole brain topography and organization between the networks are partially preserved but the balance between them consequently shows abnormalities, as in the case of bipolar disorder (Magioncalda et al, 2015 ; Martino et al, 2016 ), and that the subsequent relation with the external stimuli may be impaired. Indeed, a recent meta-analysis (Visintin et al, 2016 ) shows increased activity in the regions spanning across the midline core of DMN in patients with borderline personality disorder during the resting state, which may imply difficulties in self-referential, social and emotional processing (Van Overwalle, 2009 ; Etkin et al, 2011 ).…”

Resting-state meta-analysis in Borderline Personality Disorder: Is the fronto-limbic hypothesis still valid?

“…To the editor, Visintin et al (Visintin et al 2016) recently published a stimulating meta-analysis of the studies investigating the abnormalities in brain activity at rest in patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD). This study is important to shed some light on the neurobiology of BPD, which has been little investigated despite its high prevalence (0.5-5.9% of the general population) and severity (Amad et al 2014).…”