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Affect regulation in borderline personality disorder: experimental findings from psychophysiology and functional neuroimaging

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 June 2014

S. C. Herpertz ,
T. Dietrich ,
U. Werth ,
M. Qunaibi ,
G. Lukas ,
A. Schuerkens ,
H.-J. Kunert ,
R. Freese ,
M. Flesch  and
R. Mueller-Isberner
...Show all authors
S. C. Herpertz*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Aachen Technical University (RWTH)
T. Dietrich
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Aachen Technical University (RWTH)
U. Werth
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Aachen Technical University (RWTH)
M. Qunaibi
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Aachen Technical University (RWTH)
G. Lukas
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Aachen Technical University (RWTH)
A. Schuerkens
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Aachen Technical University (RWTH)
H.-J. Kunert
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Aachen Technical University (RWTH)
R. Freese
Affiliation:
Haina Forensic Psychiatric Hospital and Westphalian Center for Forensic Psychiatry, Lippstadt, Germany
M. Flesch
Affiliation:
Haina Forensic Psychiatric Hospital and Westphalian Center for Forensic Psychiatry, Lippstadt, Germany
R. Mueller-Isberner
Affiliation:
Haina Forensic Psychiatric Hospital and Westphalian Center for Forensic Psychiatry, Lippstadt, Germany
M. Osterheider
Affiliation:
Haina Forensic Psychiatric Hospital and Westphalian Center for Forensic Psychiatry, Lippstadt, Germany
H. Sass
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Aachen Technical University (RWTH)
*
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Aachen Technical University (RWTH), Pauwelsstr. 30, D-52074 Aachen, Germany. Tel.: (+) 49 241 8089637; Fax: (+) 49 241 8888401; E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Background:

Intense and rapidly changing mood states are a major feature of borderline personality disorder (BPD), which is thought to arise from affective vulnerability.

Objective:

There have been only a few studies investigating affective processing in BPD, and particularly neither psychophysiological nor neurofunctional correlates of abnormal emotional processing have been identified so far.

Methods:

Studies are reported using psychophysiological or functional neuroimaging methodology.

Results:

The psychophysiological study did not indicate a general emotional hyperresponsiveness in BPD. Low autonomic arousal seemed to reflect dissociative states in borderline subjects experiencing intense emotions. In the functional magnetic resonance imaging study enhanced amygdala activation was found in BPD, and it is suggested to reflect the intense and slowly subsiding emotions commonly observed in response to even low-level stressors.

Conclusions:

Implications for psychotherapy are discussed.

Keywords

borderline personality disorderaffective vulnerability psychophysiology functional neuroimaging
Type
Research Article
Information
Acta Neuropsychiatrica , Volume 14 , Issue 2 , April 2002 , pp. 71 - 75
Copyright
Copyright © Acta Neuropsychiatrica 2002

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