Impulsivity and executive function in borderline personality disorder (original) (raw)
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It has been pointed out that the definition of BPD impulsivity would be improved by incorporating neurobehavioral models in order to bridge the research and the DSM behavioral criterion. Moeller et al. have proposed three neuropsychological diagnostic criterions related to impulsivity in psychiatric disorders: (1) rapid, unplanned reactions to stimuli before complete processing of information; (2) lack of regard for long-term consequences and;
Executive dysfunctions in borderline personality disorder
Middle East Current Psychiatry, 2016
Background Executive dysfunctions may aggravate the chronicity, risk, and burden of different psychiatric disorders. Studies focusing on executive functioning in patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) have shown divergent results. Moreover, little attention has been paid to the potential association of executive function deficits with the patients' risk for suicidality and impulsivity. Aim The current study aimed to examine the executive function profile of patients with BPD and to compare them with a group of age-matched and sex-matched healthy controls, and to investigate the association of executive dysfunction with suicidal and impulsivity risk among these patients. Patients and methods The study included 19 female patients with BPD diagnosed according to the Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, 4th ed., text revision (DSM-IV-TR) diagnostic criteria; they were compared on the basis of their executive functions and contrasted with 10 healthy controls on cognitive performance. Both groups were subjected to the following tests: Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-II), Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Suicidal Behavior Questionnaire, impulsivity subscale of Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, and Global Assessment of Function scale. Results The performance of the borderline patients was significantly impaired on executive function tasks when compared with healthy controls. These deficits indicate impairment in strategic planning, organized searching, directing behavior toward achieving a goal, and modulating impulsive response, which was consistent with the clinical symptoms of BPD. Results also showed correlation between executive function impairment and global patient functions and certain BPD symptoms like impulsivity. However, suicidal behavior in BPD patients was not found to be correlated with executive function deficits. Conclusion BPD patients demonstrated impaired performance on the majority of executive function domains, which was associated with their impulsivity risk. These findings suggest the importance of early identification of individuals at risk for executive deficits. Ongoing research on the cognitive functions of BPD patients may contribute to a clearer conceptualization of their conflicted interpersonal relationships and lifethreatening behaviors, which may eventually result in more targeted treatments for these patients.
Executive functions in borderline personality disorder
Psychiatry Research, 2013
Different domains of executive function such as working memory and response inhibition were investigated together with elementary cognitive processes in borderline personality disorder (BPD). Patients with BPD (N¼28) were compared to nonpatient controls (NP, N¼ 28) on eight tasks (e.g. n-back, Go/NoGo, CPT-AX). In order to separate impairments in different cognitive domains and to assess the influence of more elementary cognitive processes on executive functioning, tasks were embedded in a reaction-time-decomposition approach. BPD patients solved tasks with accuracies comparable to those of nonpatients. The only exception was the n-back task, for which working memory is required: here, error rates were higher and increased more prominently in BPD patients depending on working memory load. In most tasks, movement times were shorter for BPD patients than for nonpatients, while the quality of task-solving was comparable. The faster processing in the BPD group was observable starting with the simplest task, i.e. a simple reaction-time task. These findings suggest that domains of executive functioning are differentially affected in BPD. In contrast to load-dependent deficits in working memory, response inhibition processes were unimpaired. Faster action-related processes could be observed in BPD patients in a variety of tasks; however, these did not influence executive functioning.
Psychiatry and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 2017
OBJECTIVES: In this present study, we aimed to examine the relationship between impulsivity and attention-deficit/hyperactivity symptoms in female patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and compare these symptoms with a healthy group. METHODS: The sample of this study was composed of randomly selected 90 female patients diagnosed with BPD according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fifth Edition (DSM-5) criteria and not receiving any medical treatment during the past six months since presented to the Bagcilar Training and Research Hospital and randomly selected 90 healthy controls who were free of any psychiatric disorders. Semi-structured sociodemographic data form, Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS-v1.1), and Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11) were administered. RESULTS: Total BIS scores were statistically significantly correlated with total ASRS (r = .557, p < .001) and its two subscales: Inattention (r = .593, p < .001) and Hyperactivity/Impulsivity (r = .399, p < .001). The results of Chi-square test revealed a statistically significant difference in terms of being diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or not between patient and healthy group (χ 2 = 46.667, df = 1, p = .000). Furthermore, there was a statistically significant difference between the patients and the healthy controls in terms of total BIS-11 [t(178) = 10.444, p = .000] and total ASRS [t(178) = 9.697, p = .000]. The results of hierarchical multiple regression revealed that Motor subscale scores were significantly predictive of ASRS scores [R 2 = .337, F(6,82) = 5.960, p = .00]. CONCLUSIONS: In this present study, patients with BPD had higher rates of comorbid ADHD and impulsivity scores than healthy controls. ASRS scores and BIS scores were positively correlated, and motor subscale scores were significantly predictive of ASRS scores.
Psychopathology, 2005
Background: Basic neurocognitive functions such as attention and executive cognitive control represent promising endophenotypes that may improve understanding of the development and expression of borderline personality disorders (BPD). We evaluated the association between performance on the Attention Network Task (ANT) and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), two neurocognitive laboratory instruments, and the extent of BPD psychopathology. Sampling and Methods: We studied 22 BPD-diagnosed individuals who were independently administered these two laboratory assays. Performance on these tests was used as a predictor of the extent of BPD psychopathology. Results: Indexes of the ANT and the WCST were correlated with one another in this sample. Further, the extent of impairment in attention networks, specifically the orienting network, was associated with a greater spectrum of BPD psychopathology, independent of the effects of age and medication status. Finally, ANT and WCST performance were uncorrelated with general psychosocial functioning in this sample, implicating relative specificity to the extent, as contrasted with functional severity, of BPD psychopathology. Conclusions: Attentional and executive functions are promising endophenotypic markers of BPD psychopathology. The implications of these findings are considered from developmental, experimental, and clinical perspectives.