Hostname: page-component-745bb68f8f-kw2vx Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-01-13T21:19:07.392Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Trait impulsivity in female patients with borderline personality disorder and matched controls

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 June 2014

Jørgen Assar Mortensen ,
Lnge Andre Rasmussen  and
Asta Håberg
Jørgen Assar Mortensen*
Affiliation:
Department of Medical Imaging, St. Olav's Hospital, Trondheim, Norway Department of Psychiatry, St. Olav's Hospital, Trondheim, Norway
Lnge Andre Rasmussen
Affiliation:
Interventional Center, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, Oslo, Norway Institute of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
Asta Håberg
Affiliation:
Department of Medical Imaging, St. Olav's Hospital, Trondheim, Norway Department of Neuroscience, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway
*
Jørgen Assar Mortensen, St. Olav's Hospital, Østmarka, PO Box 3008 Lade, 7441 Trondheim, Norway. Tel: +47 73864591; Fax: +47 73864902; E-mail: jorgen.assar.mortensen@stolav.no
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Mortensen JA, Rasmussen IA, Håberg A. Trait impulsivity in female patients with borderline personality disorder and matched controls.

Objective:

Impulsivity has been shown to load on two separate factors, rash impulsivity and sensitivity to reward (SR) in several factor analytic studies. The aims of the current study were to explore the nature of impulsivity in women with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and matched controls, and the underlying neuronal correlates for rash impulsivity and SR.

Methods:

Fifteen females diagnosed with BPD and 15 matched controls were recruited. All completed the impulsiveness-venturesomeness scale (I7), the sensitivity to punishment (SP) - sensitivity to reward (SR) questionnaire, and performed a Go-NoGo block-design functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) paradigm at 3T. Correlation analyses were done with I7, SP and SR scores with the level of activation in different brain areas in the whole group. An independent group t-test was used to explore any differences between the BPD group and the matched controls.

Results:

I7 scores correlated negatively with activity in the left orbitofrontal cortex, amygdala and precuneus, and bilaterally in the cingulate cortices during response inhibition for the entire sample. SP yielded negative correlations in the right superior frontal gyrus and parahippocampal gyrus. No activity related to response inhibition correlated to SR. The Go-NoGo task gave similar brain activity in BPD and matched controls, but behaviourally the BPD group had significantly more commission errors in the NoGo blocks. The BPD group had increased I7 and SP scores indicating rash impulsiveness combined with heightened SP.

Conclusion:

These results imply that successful impulse inhibition involves interaction between the impulsive and the emotional systems. Furthermore, impulsivity in BPD is described as rash impulsivity, coexisting with increased SP.

Keywords

behavioural activation systembehavioural inhibition systememotional regulationfunctional magnetic resonance imagingGo-NoGo
Type
Research Article
Information
Acta Neuropsychiatrica , Volume 22 , Issue 3 , June 2010 , pp. 139 - 149
Copyright
Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Gray, JA, McNaughton, N.The neuropsychology of anxiety: an enquiry into the functions of the septo-hippocampal system, 2nd edn. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. Google Scholar
Pickering, AD, Gray, JA.The neuroscience of personality. In: Pervin, LA ed. Handbook of personality: theory and research, 2nd edn. New York: Guilford Press, 1999: 277–299. Google Scholar
Bechara, A, Dolan, S, Hindes, A.Decision-making and addiction (part II): myopia for the future or hypersensitivity to reward? Neuropsychologia 2002;40:1690–1705. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Thorpe, SJ, Rolls, ET, Maddison, S.The orbitofrontal cortex: neuronal activity in the behaving monkey. Exp Brain Res 1983;49:93–115. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rolls, ET.Neural systems involved in emotions in primates. In: Plutchik, R, Keleman, H. eds. Emotion: theory, research, and experience, vol. 3. Orlando: Academic Press, 1986:125–141. Google Scholar
Andersson, SW, Bechara, A, Damasio, H, Tranel, D, Damasio, AR.Impairment of social and moral behavior related to early damage in the human prefrontal cortex. Nat Neurosci 1999;2:1032–1037. CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dawe, S, Gullo, MJ, Loxton, NJ.Reward drive and rash impulsiveness as dimensions of impulsivity: implications for substance misuse. Addict Behav 2004;29:1389–1405. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Caseras, X, Avila, C, Torrubia, R.The measurement of individual differences in behavioural inhibition and behavioural activation systems: a comparison of personality scales. Pers Individ Dif 2003;34:999–1013. CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Miller, E, Joseph, S, Tudway, J.Assessing the component structure of four self-report measures of impulsivity. Pers Individ Dif 2004;37:349–358. CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Quilty, LC, Oakman, JM.The assessment of behavioural activation—the relationship between impulsivity and behavioural activation. Pers Individ Dif 2004;37:429–442. CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carver, SC, White, TL.Behavioral inhibition, behavioral activation and affective responses to impending reward and punishment: The BISBAS scales. J Pers Soc Psychol 1994;67:319–333. CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Torrubia, R, Avila, C, Molto, J, Caseras, X.The sensitivity to punishment and sensitivity to reward questionnaire (SPSRQ) as a measure of Gray's anxiety and impulsivity dimensions. Per Individ Dif 2001;31:837–862. CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eysenck, SBG, Pearson, PR, Easting, G and Allsopp, JP.Age norms for impulsiveness, venturesomeness and empathy in adults. Per Individ Dif 1985;6:613–619. CrossRefGoogle Scholar
APA. DSM-IV—Diagnostic and statistical manual and mental disorders, 4th edn. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association, 1994 (301.83 - Borderline personality disorder).Google Scholar
De la Fuente, JM, Goldman, S, Stanus, Eet al. Brain glucose metabolism in borderline personality disorder. J Psychiatr Res 1997;31:531–541. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Soloff, PH, Meltzer, CC, Becker, C, Greer, PJ, Kely, TM, Constantine, D.Impulsivity and prefrontal hypometabolism in borderline personality disorder. Psychiatry Res Neuroim 2003;123:153–163. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Juengling, FD, Schmahl, C, Hesslinger, Bet al. Positron emission tomography in female patients with borderline personality disorder. J Psychiatr Res 2003;37:109–111. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lyoo, IK, Han, MH, Cho, DY.A brain MRI study in subjects with borderline personality disorder. J Affect Disord 1998;50:235–243. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Van Elst, LT, Hesslinger, B, Thiel, Tet al. Frontolimbic brain abnormalities in patients with borderline personality disorder: a volumetric magnetic resonance imaging study. Biol Psychiatry 2003;54:163–171. CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schmahl, CG, Elzinga, BM, Vermetten, E, Sanislow, C, McGlashan, TH, Bremner, JD.Neural correlates of memories of abandonment in women with and without borderline personality disorder. Biol Psychiatry 2003;54:142–151. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schmahl, CG, Vermetten, E, Elzinga, BM, Douglas, BJ.Magnetic resonance imaging of hippocampal and amygdale volume in women with childhood abuse and borderline personality disorder. Psychiatry Res 2003;122:193–198. CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schmahl, CG, Vermetten, E, Elzinga, BM, Bremner, JD.A positron emission tomography study of memories of childhood abuse in borderline personality disorder. Biol Psychiatry 2004;55:759–765. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Herpertz, SC, Diehich, TM, Wenning, Bet al. Evidence of abnormal amygdala functioning in borderline personality disorder: a functional MRI study. Biol Psychiatry 2001;50:292–298. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Donegan, NH, Sanislow, CA, Blumberg, HPet al. Amygdala hyperreactivity in borderline personality disorder: implications for emotional dysregulation. Biol Psychiatry 2003;54:1284–1293. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Driessen, M, Herrmann, J, Stahl, Ket al. Magnetic resonance imaging volumes of the hippocampus and the amygdala in women with childhood abuse and borderline personality disorder and early traumatization. Arch Gen Psychiatry 2000;57:1115–1122. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Horn, N, Dolan, M, Elliot, R, Deakin, J, Woodruff, P.Response inhibition and impulsivity: an fMRI study. Neuropsychologia 2003;41:1959–1966. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Crowell, SE, Beauchaine, TP, Linehan, MM.A biosocial developmental model of borderline personality: elaborating and extending Linehan's theory. Psychol Bull 2009;135:495–510. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Avila, C, Parcet, MA.Personality and inhibitory deficits in the stop-signal task: the mediating role of Gray's anxiety and impulsivity. Pers Individ Dif 2001;31:975–986. CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Casey, BJ, Trainor, RJ, Orendi, JLet al. A developmental functional MRI study of prefrontal activation during performance of a Go-No-Go task. J Cogn Neurosci 1997;9:835–847. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rentrop, M, Backenstrass, M, Jaentsch, Bet al. Response inhibition in borderline personality disorder: performance in a Go/Nogo task. Psychopathology 2008;41:50–57. CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Talairach, J, Toumoux, P, Mousolino, A.Anatomical stereotactic studies of the frontal lobe in the management of epilepsies. Epilepsia 1988;29:205. Google Scholar
Kriegeskorte, N, Goebel, R.An efficient algorithm for topologically correct segmentation of the cortical sheet in anatomical MR volumes. Neuroimage 2001;14:329–346. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dale, AM, Fischl, B, Sereno, MI.Cortical surface-based analysis. I. Segmentation and surface reconstruction. Neuroimage 1999;9:179–194. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Aron, AR, Robbins, TW, Poldrack, RA.Inhibition and the right inferior frontal cortex. Trends Cogn Sci 2004; 8:170–177. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Garavan, H, Ross, TJ, Stein, EA.Right hemispheric dominance of inhibitory control: An event-related functional MRI study. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 1999;96:8301–8306. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Garavan, H, Ross, TJ, Murphy, K, Roche, RAP, Stein, EA.Dissociable executive functions in the dynamic control of behaviour: inhibition, error detection and correction. Neuroimage 2002;17:1820–1829. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hester, R, Garavan, H.Executive dysfunction in cocaine addiction: evidence for discordant frontal, cingulate and cerebellar activity. J Neurosci 2004;24:11017–11022. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kaufman, JN, Ross, TJ, Stein, EA, Garavan, H.Cingulate hypoactivity in cocaine users during a go-nogo-task as revealed by event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging. J Neurosci 2003;23:7839–7843. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mathalon, DH, Whitfield, SL, Ford, JM.Anatomy of an error: ERP and fMRI. Biol Psychol 2003;64:119–141. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Konishi, S, Nakajima, K, Uchida, I, Sekihara, K, Miyashita, Y.No-go dominant brain activity in human inferior prefrontal cortex revealed by functional magnetic resonance imaging. Eur J Neurosci 1998;10:1209–1213. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bechara, A, Damasio, H, Damasio, AR.Emotion, decision making and the orbitofrontal cortex. Cereb Cortex 2000;10:295–307. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Smillie, LD, Pickering, AD, Jackson, CJ.The new reinforcement sensitivity theory: implications for personality measurement. Pers Soc Psychol Rev 2006;10:320–335. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Avila, C, Parcet, MA, Barrós-Loscertales, A.A cognitive neuroscience approach to individual differences in sensitivity to reward [Review]. Neurotox Res 2008;14:191–203. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Beauregard, M, Lévesque, J, Bourgouin, P.Neural correlates of conscious self-regulation of emotion. J Neurosci 2001;21:RC165. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pavuluri, MN, Passarotti, AM, Harral, EM, Sweeney, JA.An fMRI study of the neural correlates of incidental versus directed emotion processing in pediatric bipolar disorder. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2009;48:308–319. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hester, R, Fassbender, C, Garavan, H.Individual differences in error processing: a review and reanalysis of three event-related fMRI studies using the GO/NOGO task. Cereb Cortex 2004;14:986–994. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cavanna, AE.The precuneus and consciousness. CNS Spectr 2007;12:545–552. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Völlm, B, Richardson, P, Stirling, Jet al. Neurobiological substrates of antisocial and borderline personality disorder: preliminary results of a functional fMRI study. Crim Behav Ment Health 2004;14:39–54. CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed