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Impaired working memory and normal sustained attention in borderline personality disorder

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 June 2014

Matteo Lazzaretti ,
Niccolò Morandotti ,
Michela Sala ,
Miriam Isola ,
Sophia Frangou ,
Giulia De Vidovich ,
Elisa Marraffini ,
Francesca Gambini ,
Francesco Barale  and
Federico Zappoli
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Matteo Lazzaretti
Affiliation:
Interdepartmental Centre for research on Personality Disorders. Department of Applied and Behavioural Health Sciences, Section of Psychiatry, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy Department of Mental Health, Azienda Ospedaliera Ospedale di Circolo di Busto Arsizio, Presidio Ospedaliero di Saronno, Saronno, Italy
Niccolò Morandotti
Affiliation:
Interdepartmental Centre for research on Personality Disorders. Department of Applied and Behavioural Health Sciences, Section of Psychiatry, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
Michela Sala
Affiliation:
Interdepartmental Centre for research on Personality Disorders. Department of Applied and Behavioural Health Sciences, Section of Psychiatry, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy Department of Mental Health, Azienda Sanitaria Locale Alessandria, Alessandria, Italy
Miriam Isola
Affiliation:
Department of Medical and Morphological Research, Section of Statistics, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
Sophia Frangou
Affiliation:
Psychosis Clinical Academic Group, Section of Neurobiology of Psychosis, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK
Giulia De Vidovich
Affiliation:
Interdepartmental Centre for research on Personality Disorders. Department of Applied and Behavioural Health Sciences, Section of Psychiatry, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
Elisa Marraffini
Affiliation:
Interdepartmental Centre for research on Personality Disorders. Department of Applied and Behavioural Health Sciences, Section of Psychiatry, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
Francesca Gambini
Affiliation:
Interdepartmental Centre for research on Personality Disorders. Department of Applied and Behavioural Health Sciences, Section of Psychiatry, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
Francesco Barale
Affiliation:
Interdepartmental Centre for research on Personality Disorders. Department of Applied and Behavioural Health Sciences, Section of Psychiatry, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
Federico Zappoli
Affiliation:
Service of Radiology, IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy
Edgardo Caverzasi
Affiliation:
Interdepartmental Centre for research on Personality Disorders. Department of Applied and Behavioural Health Sciences, Section of Psychiatry, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
Paolo Brambilla
Affiliation:
DISM, University of Udine, Udine, Italy IRCCS ″E. Medea” Scientific Institute, Udine, Italy
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Extract

Lazzaretti M, Morandotti N, Sala M, Isola M, Frangou S, De Vidovich G, Marraffini E, Gambini F, Barale F, Zappoli F, Caverzasi E, Brambilla P. Impaired working memory and normal sustained attention in borderline personality disorder.

Objective: Although reports in the literature describe deficits in working memory in borderline personality disorder (BPD), the evidence is limited and inconsistent. The aim of this study was to evaluate further this cognitive dimension and its clinical correlates in BPD.

Method: We compared the performance of 15 BPD patients to 1:1 matched healthy controls on verbal working memory as determined by the sequential letter N-back test and sustained attention as measured using the continuous performance test (CPT).

Results: BPD patients performed significantly worse on the N-back test compared to healthy controls (p < 0.05), but not on the CPT. The N-back deficit was more pronounced and significant in the 3-back condition and inversely correlated with impulsivity.

Conclusions: These results suggest the presence of working memory deficits in BPD that may be linked to greater impulsivity and sustained by impairment in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.

Keywords

borderline personality disordercontinuous performance testimpulsivityN-back testsustained attentionverbal working memory
Type
Research Article
Information
Acta Neuropsychiatrica , Volume 24 , Issue 6 , December 2012 , pp. 349 - 355
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

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