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Impulsivity in borderline personality disorder

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2015

V. Barker ,
L. Romaniuk ,
R. N. Cardinal ,
M. Pope ,
K. Nicol  and
J. Hall
V. Barker*
Affiliation:
Division of Psychiatry, Centre for Brain Sciences, School of Clinical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Morningside Park, Edinburgh EH10 5HF, UK
L. Romaniuk
Affiliation:
Division of Psychiatry, Centre for Brain Sciences, School of Clinical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Morningside Park, Edinburgh EH10 5HF, UK
R. N. Cardinal
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Behavioural & Clinical Neuroscience Institute, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK Cambridgeshire & Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Fulbourn Hospital, Cambridge CB21 5EF, UK
M. Pope
Affiliation:
Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Morningside Park, Edinburgh EH10 5HF, UK
K. Nicol
Affiliation:
Division of Psychiatry, Centre for Brain Sciences, School of Clinical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Morningside Park, Edinburgh EH10 5HF, UK
J. Hall
Affiliation:
Division of Psychiatry, Centre for Brain Sciences, School of Clinical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Morningside Park, Edinburgh EH10 5HF, UK Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, Cardiff University, Hadyn Ellis Building, Maindy Road, Cardiff CF24 4HQ, UK MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Cardiff University, Hadyn Ellis Building, Maindy Road, Cardiff CF24 4HQ, UK
*
*Address for correspondence: V. Barker, Division of Psychiatry, School of Molecular and Clinical Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Kennedy Tower, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Morningside Park, Edinburgh EH10 5HF, UK. (Email: [email protected])
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Abstract

Background

Impulsivity is a core feature of borderline personality disorder (BPD) and is most frequently measured using self-rating scales. There is a need to find objective, valid and reliable measures of impulsivity. This study aimed to examine performance of participants with BPD compared with healthy controls on delay and probabilistic discounting tasks and the stop-signal task (SST), which are objective measures of choice and motor impulsivity, respectively.

Method

A total of 20 participants with BPD and 21 healthy control participants completed delay and probabilistic discounting tasks and the SST. They also completed the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS), a self-rating measure of impulsivity.

Results

Participants with BPD showed significantly greater delay discounting than controls, manifest as a greater tendency to accept the immediately available lesser reward rather than waiting longer for a greater reward. Similarly they showed significantly greater discounting of rewards by the probability of payout, which correlated with past childhood trauma. Participants with BPD were found to choose the more certain and/or immediate rewards, irrespective of the value. On the SST the BPD and control groups did not differ significantly, demonstrating no difference in motor impulsivity. There was no significant difference between groups on self-reported impulsivity as measured by the BIS.

Conclusions

Measures of impulsivity show that while motor impulsivity was not significantly different in participants with BPD compared with controls, choice or reward-related impulsivity was significantly affected in those with BPD. This suggests that choice impulsivity but not motor impulsivity is a core feature of BPD.

Keywords

Borderline personality disorderchoice impulsivityimpulsivitymotor impulsivity
Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 45 , Issue 9 , July 2015 , pp. 1955 - 1964
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

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