Electrophysiological aberrations in borderline personality disorder: state of the evidence

Electrophysiological technology is noninvasive and relatively inexpensive. In order to assess the usefulness of this technology in probing the pathophysiology of borderline personality disorder (BPD), we reviewed the literature in which an electrophysiological modality was used to examine BPD. Twenty-two articles were identified, from which diagnostic criteria and data on comorbidity and control groups were extracted. Although the majority of studies pointed to a high prevalence of electrophysiological aberrations in patients, very few studies had adequate control groups and adequate evaluation of comorbidity. We conclude that although the existing literature reflects a preliminary stage of the field, it suggests that electrophysiological investigations may be useful in investigating BPD.