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Selective deficit in executive functioning among patients with borderline personality disorder

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 February 2009

V. Ø. Haaland ,
L. Esperaas  and
N. I. Landrø
V. Ø. Haaland*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Sørlandet Hospital HF, Kristiansand, Norway Center for the Study of Human Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
L. Esperaas
Affiliation:
Center for the Study of Human Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway Louisenlund Community Mental Health Center, Sørlandet Hospital HF, Kristiansand, Norway
N. I. Landrø
Affiliation:
Center for the Study of Human Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
*
*Address for correspondence: V. Ø. Haaland, Dipl. Psych., Sørlandet sykehus HF, Psykiatrisk avdeling, Serviceboks 416, N-4604 Kristiansand, Norway. (Email: [email protected])
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Abstract

Background

The aim of this study was to investigate the functioning of patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) compared to healthy controls on five neuropsychological domains, with regard to the possible effect of differences in IQ.

Method

Out-patients and in-patients with BPD (n=35) and healthy comparison subjects (n=35) were tested with an extensive neuropsychological battery, where most cognitive domains were covered by several tests.

Results

When controlling for the effect of IQ, patients were found to have reduced executive functioning as compared to healthy controls. With regard to the other neuropsychological domains (working memory, attention, long-term verbal memory, and long-term non-verbal memory), no differences were found between the two groups. Within-subject analyses also identified executive functioning as a selective deficit among patients whereas long-term verbal memory was identified as a relative strength. An association was identified between the covariate general intellectual functioning and every neuropsychological domain. No statistically significant differences were found between the subgroups of patients with and without co-morbid post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or between those with and without co-morbid major depression, or between the medicated and unmedicated subgroups on any of the neuropsychological domains.

Conclusions

Patients with BPD demonstrate a selective deficit in executive functioning. This corroborates studies that have identified frontal regions as potential neurobiological substrates of the BPD syndrome. The relative strength of the verbal long-term memory function raises pertinent questions regarding the presumed importance of hippocampal structures.

Keywords

Clinical psychologycognition disorderscognitive scienceneuropsychologypersonality disorders
Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 39 , Issue 10 , October 2009 , pp. 1733 - 1743
Copyright
Copyright © 2009 Cambridge University Press

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