Common and different gray and white matter alterations in bipolar and borderline personality disorder: A source-based...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Brain Imaging

Background:

• Bipolar Disorder (BD) and Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) are distinct but share affective symptoms, complicating diagnosis.
• Understanding the neural underpinnings of these shared and distinct symptoms is crucial for differential diagnosis and treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the neuroanatomical differences and similarities between Bipolar Disorder and Borderline Personality Disorder.
• To elucidate the neural bases of shared affective symptoms and disorder-specific features.

Main Methods:

• Structural T1 MRI scans from 30 BD patients, 20 BPD patients, and 45 healthy controls were analyzed.
• Source-based Morphometry (SBM), a whole-brain multivariate method, was employed to assess gray and white matter features.

Main Results:

• BD patients exhibited increased gray matter concentration in subcortical and cerebellar networks compared to controls, potentially linked to mood oscillations.
• BPD patients showed milder alterations in the same gray matter network, positioning them on a continuum between BD and controls.
• A distinct white matter network alteration was identified in BPD patients, involving frontal-parietal and temporal regions, associated with emotion regulation deficits.

Conclusions:

• BD is associated with abnormalities in neural structures governing mood oscillations.
• BPD is characterized by deficits in the cognitive regulation of emotions, reflected in white matter alterations.
• These findings contribute to a better understanding of affective disturbances in BD and BPD, aiding in the development of tailored treatments.