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Updated: Jun 8, 2026

Use of a Psychophysiological Script-driven Imagery Experiment to Study Trauma-related Dissociation in Borderline Personality Disorder
Published on: March 8, 2018
Hippocampal volume in borderline personality disorder with and without comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder: a
E Rodrigues1, A Wenzel, M P Ribeiro
1Department of Neurosciences and Mental Health, School of Medicine, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Brazil.
Background:
Several studies have found a reduction in hippocampal volume in borderline personality disorder (BPD) patients.
Methods:
In order to investigate the degree to which comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) could account for reduction in hippocampal volume in these patients, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies that compared hippocampal volume in BPD patients with and without PTSD relative to healthy controls.
Results:
Seven articles, involving 124 patients and 147 controls, were included. We found a statistically significant reduction for the left and right hippocampus. Data from the four studies that discriminated BPD patients with and without PTSD indicate that hippocampal volumes were reduced bilaterally in BPD patients with PTSD, relative to healthy controls, but that results were mixed for BPD patients without PTSD, relative to healthy controls.
Conclusions:
Results from this meta-analysis suggest that hippocampal volumes are reduced in patients with BPD, relative to healthy controls, but particularly in cases in which patients are diagnosed with comorbid PTSD.
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