Anterior cingulate volume in adolescents with first-presentation borderline personality disorder

Whittle, Sarah; Chanen, Andrew M.; Fornito, Alex; McGorry, Patrick D.; Pantelis, Christos; Yücel, Murat

doi:10.1016/j.pscychresns.2008.12.004

« Previous Next »Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging
Volume 172, Issue 2 , Pages 155-160, 15 May 2009

Anterior cingulate volume in adolescents with first-presentation borderline personality disorder

Sarah Whittle
- ORYGEN Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Melbourne, Australia
Andrew M. Chanen
- ORYGEN Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
- ORYGEN Youth Health, Northwestern Mental Health, Melbourne, Australia
Alex Fornito
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Melbourne, Australia
Patrick D. McGorry
- ORYGEN Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
- ORYGEN Youth Health, Northwestern Mental Health, Melbourne, Australia
Christos Pantelis
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Melbourne, Australia
Murat Yücel
- ORYGEN Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Melbourne, Australia
- Corresponding author. Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, National Neuroscience Facility, 161 Barry Street (Level 3), Carlton South, 3053, Vic, Australia. Tel.: +61 3 8344 1877; fax: +61 3 9348 0469.

Received 15 May 2008; received in revised form 19 December 2008; accepted 19 December 2008.

Abstract

Reports of volumetric abnormalities in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in adults with established borderline personality disorder (BPD) are inconsistent, and it is not known whether such abnormalities are present early in the disorder. We aimed to investigate ACC volume in a first-presentation teenage BPD sample with minimal exposure to treatment. Fifteen female BPD patients and 15 healthy female control participants underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanning. ACC volumes were estimated using a reliable method that accounts for inter-individual variation in sulcal morphology, and measurements were compared between the two groups. Analysis of variance revealed a decrease in volume of the left ACC in BPD patients compared with control participants. This volumetric change was correlated with parasuicidal behavior and impulsivity. A measure of ACC volume asymmetry was also correlated with fear of abandonment symptoms. Our results suggest that ACC volumetric abnormalities early in the course of BPD might be related to clinical correlates of the disorder. Longitudinal studies are needed to examine the nature of this abnormality over the course of the disorder.

Keywords: Magnetic resonance imaging, Region of interest, Impulsivity, Parasuicide, Sex differences