TY - JOUR
T1 - Borderline personality disorder, impulsivity, and the orbitofrontal cortex
AU - Berlin, Heather A.
AU - Rolls, Edmund T.
AU - Iversen, Susan D.
N1 - Funding Information:
Support is also acknowledged from grants from the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan to C-SL (104-2313-B-001-002) and from the National Science Foundation to MD (DEB-1120761 and DEB-1342782), and LC (DEB-1120750 and DEB-0515712). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. We are grateful to S.-H. Wu, Hengchun Research Center, Taiwan Forestry Research Institute, Pingtung, Taiwan for donating plant material. This work was supported in part by the Plant Molecular and Bioinformatics Center and the Department of Biological Sciences at Northern Illinois University and the Next Generation Sequencing core facility, Academia Sinica, Taiwan.
PY - 2005/12
Y1 - 2005/12
N2 - Objective: Orbitofrontal cortex lesions produce disinhibited or socially inappropriate behavior and emotional irregularities. Characteristics of borderline personality disorder include impulsivity and affective instability. The authors investigated whether aspects of borderline personality disorder, in particular impulsivity, are associated with orbitofrontal cortex dysfunction. Method: Measures of personality, emotion, impulsivity, time perception, sensitivity to reinforcers, and spatial working memory were administered to patients with borderline personality disorder (N= 19), patients with orbitofrontal cortex lesions (N=23), patients with lesions in the prefrontal cortex but not in the orbito-frontal cortex (N=20), and healthy comparison subjects (N=39). Results: The patients with orbitofrontal cortex lesions and the patients with borderline personality disorder performed similarly on several measures. Both groups were more impulsive and reported more inappropriate behaviors, borderline personality disorder characteristics, and anger and less happiness than the two comparison groups, and both groups were less open to experience and had a faster perception of time (underproduced time) than the healthy comparison subjects. The patients with orbitofrontal cortex lesions and the borderline personality disorder patients performed differently on other measures. The borderline personality disorder patients were less extraverted and conscientious and more neurotic and emotional than all other groups. Patients with orbitofrontal cortex lesions had deficits in reversing stimulus-reinforcer associations and a faster perception of time (overestimated time) than the healthy comparison subjects. Conclusions: Orbitofrontal cortex dysfunction may contribute to some core characteristics of borderline personality disorder, in particular impulsivity. Other characteristics of borderline personality disorder, such as high levels of emotionality and personality irregularities, do not appear to be related to the type of dysfunction produced by orbitofrontal cortex damage. The similarities and differences found between the borderline personality disorder patients and the patients with orbitofrontal cortex lesions may lead to a better understanding of the etiology of borderline personality disorder and the functions of the orbitofrontal cortex.
AB - Objective: Orbitofrontal cortex lesions produce disinhibited or socially inappropriate behavior and emotional irregularities. Characteristics of borderline personality disorder include impulsivity and affective instability. The authors investigated whether aspects of borderline personality disorder, in particular impulsivity, are associated with orbitofrontal cortex dysfunction. Method: Measures of personality, emotion, impulsivity, time perception, sensitivity to reinforcers, and spatial working memory were administered to patients with borderline personality disorder (N= 19), patients with orbitofrontal cortex lesions (N=23), patients with lesions in the prefrontal cortex but not in the orbito-frontal cortex (N=20), and healthy comparison subjects (N=39). Results: The patients with orbitofrontal cortex lesions and the patients with borderline personality disorder performed similarly on several measures. Both groups were more impulsive and reported more inappropriate behaviors, borderline personality disorder characteristics, and anger and less happiness than the two comparison groups, and both groups were less open to experience and had a faster perception of time (underproduced time) than the healthy comparison subjects. The patients with orbitofrontal cortex lesions and the borderline personality disorder patients performed differently on other measures. The borderline personality disorder patients were less extraverted and conscientious and more neurotic and emotional than all other groups. Patients with orbitofrontal cortex lesions had deficits in reversing stimulus-reinforcer associations and a faster perception of time (overestimated time) than the healthy comparison subjects. Conclusions: Orbitofrontal cortex dysfunction may contribute to some core characteristics of borderline personality disorder, in particular impulsivity. Other characteristics of borderline personality disorder, such as high levels of emotionality and personality irregularities, do not appear to be related to the type of dysfunction produced by orbitofrontal cortex damage. The similarities and differences found between the borderline personality disorder patients and the patients with orbitofrontal cortex lesions may lead to a better understanding of the etiology of borderline personality disorder and the functions of the orbitofrontal cortex.
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/28444435905
U2 - 10.1176/appi.ajp.162.12.2360
DO - 10.1176/appi.ajp.162.12.2360
M3 - Article
C2 - 16330602
AN - SCOPUS:28444435905
SN - 0002-953X
VL - 162
SP - 2360
EP - 2373
JO - American Journal of Psychiatry
JF - American Journal of Psychiatry
IS - 12
ER -