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Published on: March 8, 2018
Reduced interhemispheric structural connectivity between anterior cingulate cortices in borderline personality
Nicolas Rüsch1, Tobias Bracht, Björn W Kreher
1Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Freiburg, Germany. nicolas.ruesch@uniklinik-freiburg.de
Psychiatry Research
|January 19, 2010
Summary
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is linked to altered brain connectivity. This study found reduced structural connections between the left and right anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in women with BPD.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Psychiatry
- Brain Connectivity
Background:
- Alterations in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) are implicated in borderline personality disorder (BPD).
- Interhemispheric structural connectivity of prefrontal regions in BPD remains largely unexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate interhemispheric structural connectivity between the left and right ACC and other prefrontal areas in women with BPD.
- To explore potential structural correlates of BPD.
Main Methods:
- Diffusion-tensor imaging (DTI) data were acquired from 20 healthy women and 19 women with BPD and comorbid attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
- A novel probabilistic diffusion tensor-based fiber tracking method was used to assess interhemispheric structural connectivity of the ACC, dorsolateral prefrontal cortices, and medial orbitofrontal cortices.
Main Results:
- The BPD group exhibited decreased interhemispheric structural connectivity between both ACCs compared to healthy controls.
- This reduction was observed in fiber tracts traversing the anterior corpus callosum and connecting dorsal ACC areas.
Conclusions:
- Reduced interhemispheric structural connectivity between the ACCs may represent a key neurobiological marker for BPD.
- These findings contribute to understanding the neural underpinnings of emotional and cognitive processing deficits in BPD.
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