What studies are being done to improve the diagnosis of borderline personality disorder?
Recent neuroimaging studies show differences in brain structure and function between people with borderline personality disorder and people who do not have this illness.
Recent neuroimaging studies show differences in brain structure and function between people with borderline personality disorder and people who do not have this illness.
Some research suggests that brain areas involved in emotional responses become overactive in people with borderline personality disorder when they perform tasks that they perceive as negative.
People with the disorder also show less activity in areas of the brain that help control emotions and aggressive impulses and allow people to understand the context of a situation. These findings may help explain the unstable and sometimes explosive moods characteristic of borderline personality disorder.
Another study showed that, when looking at emotionally negative pictures, people with borderline personality disorder used different areas of the brain than people without the disorder. Those with the illness tended to use brain areas related to reflexive actions and alertness, which may explain the tendency to act impulsively on emotional cues.
These findings could inform efforts to develop more specific tests to diagnose borderline personality disorder.
Another study showed that, when looking at emotionally negative pictures, people with borderline personality disorder used different areas of the brain than people without the disorder. Those with the illness tended to use brain areas related to reflexive actions and alertness, which may explain the tendency to act impulsively on emotional cues.
These findings could inform efforts to develop more specific tests to diagnose borderline personality disorder.
