UCL Discovery
UCL home » Library Services » Electronic resources » UCL Discovery

9.11 Borderline personality disorder

Luyten, Patrick; Fonagy, Peter; Campbell, Chloe; (2023) 9.11 Borderline personality disorder. In: Lynall, Mary-Ellen and Jones, Peter B and Stahl, Stephen M, (eds.) Cambridge Textbook of Neuroscience for Psychiatrists. (477 -483). Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK.

[thumbnail of Luyten_borderline-personality-disorder.pdf] Text
Luyten_borderline-personality-disorder.pdf
Access restricted to UCL open access staff until 9 May 2024.

Download (1MB)

Abstract

This chapter considers the neuroscience of borderline personality disorder, also known as emotionally unstable personality disorder, focusing on three domains: neuroendocrinological, structural and functional findings. Research in these areas is related to clinical understanding of borderline personality disorder as characterised by (a) emotional dysregulation, (b) impulsivity and (c) social dysfunction. In patients with borderline personality disorder, the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis tends to show showing elevated continuous cortisol output and blunted cortisol following psychosocial challenges. The amygdala and hippocampus differ from healthy controls in terms of both reduced volume and measurable activity, and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex tends to be less active. The neurobiology of borderline personality disorder can be characterised as a proneness to flooding by cortisol, with the amygdala working to heighten the affective meaning of stressful stimuli, and the prefrontal cortex underperforming in the task of downregulating emotional experience. The chapter also considers genetic findings in relation to borderline personality disorder.

Type: Book chapter
Title: 9.11 Borderline personality disorder
ISBN-13: 9781911623137
DOI: 10.1017/9781911623137.066
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781911623137.066
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the version of record. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences > Clinical, Edu and Hlth Psychology
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10086203
Downloads since deposit
4Downloads
Download activity - last month
Download activity - last 12 months
Downloads by country - last 12 months

Archive Staff Only

View Item View Item