Positron-emission tomography and personality disorders

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Personality disorders are complex mental health conditions.
• Cerebral metabolic rates of glucose (CMRG) reflect brain activity.
• Previous research suggests potential neurobiological underpinnings of personality disorders.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate cerebral metabolic rates of glucose (CMRG) in patients diagnosed with personality disorders.
• To explore correlations between aggressive impulse difficulties and frontal cortex CMRG.
• To compare frontal CMRG in antisocial and borderline personality disorder patients with a control group.

Main Methods:

• Positron-emission tomography (PET) was used to measure CMRG.
• Seventeen patients with DSM III-R personality disorder diagnoses participated.
• Analysis of covariance compared CMRG between diagnostic groups and controls, with age and sex as covariates.

Main Results:

• A significant inverse correlation was found between aggressive impulse difficulties and frontal cortex CMRG (r = -.56).
• Borderline personality disorder patients exhibited decreased frontal metabolism approximately 81 mm above the CML (p = .005).
• Borderline personality disorder patients showed increased frontal metabolism approximately 53 mm above the CML (p = .008).

Conclusions:

• Frontal cortex glucose metabolism is altered in patients with personality disorders.
• Aggressive impulse difficulties are associated with reduced frontal brain activity.
• Specific patterns of frontal metabolism differentiate borderline personality disorder from controls.