Cognitive Psychology Commons^™

Amygdala Hyperreactivity In Borderline Personality Disorder: Implications For Emotional Dysregulation, Nelson H. Donegan, Charles A. Sanislow, Hilary P. Blumberg, Robert K. Fulbright, Cheryl Lacadie, Pawel Skudlarski, John C. Gore, Ingrid R. Olson, Thomas H. Mcglashan, Bruce E. Wexler

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

BACKGROUND: Disturbed interpersonal relations and emotional dysregulation are fundamental aspects of borderline personality disorder (BPD). The amygdala plays important roles in modulating vigilance and generating negative emotional states and is often abnormally reactive in disorders of mood and emotion. The aim of this study was to assess amygdala reactivity in BPD patients relative to normal control subjects. We hypothesized that amygdala hyperreactivity contributes to hypervigilance, emotional dysregulation, and disturbed interpersonal relations in BPD.

METHODS: Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we examined neural responses to 20-sec blocks of neutral, happy, sad, and fearful facial expression (or a fixation point) in 15 …

The Representation Of Four Personality Disorders By The Schedule For Nonadaptive And Adaptive Personality Dimensional Model Of Personality, Leslie C. Morey, Megan B. Warner, M. Tracie Shea, John G. Gunderson, Charles A. Sanislow, Carlos M. Grilo, Andrew E. Skodol, Thomas H. Mcglashan

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

This study examined the relationships of the Schedule for Nonadaptive and Adaptive Personality (SNAP) model of personality to 4 targeted personality disorders (PDs) in a large multisite sample of patients. Data were examined from 529 patients, who were assigned 1 of 5 primary diagnoses: borderline, schizotypal, avoidant, and obsessive–compulsive PDs and major depression without PD. Patients were administered the SNAP questionnaire and results were compared among diagnostic groups and between patient groups and nonclinical norms. Results indicated that the dimensions of the model appear to have considerable promise in differentiating normal from abnormal personality, particularly in the propensity of individuals …

Neural Correlates Of Memories Of Abandonment In Women With And Without Borderline Personality Disorder, Christian G. Schmahl, Bernet M. Elzinga, Eric Vermetten, Charles A. Sanislow, Thomas H. Mcglashan, J. Douglas Bremner

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

BACKGROUND: Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a common psychiatric disorder that is often linked to early stressors. One particularly salient feature of the disorder is fear of abandonment. This pilot study was conducted to measure neural correlates of memories of abandonment in women with and without BPD.

METHODS: Twenty women with a history of childhood sexual abuse underwent measurement of brain blood flow with positron emission tomography imaging while they listened to scripts describing neutral and personal abandonment events. Brain blood flow during exposure to abandonment and neutral scripts was compared among women with and without BPD.

RESULTS: Memories of …

Gender Differences In Borderline Personality Disorder: Findings From The Collaborative Longitudinal Personality Disorders Study, Dawn M. Johnson, M. Tracie Shea, Shirley Yen, Cynthia L. Battle, Caron Zlotnick, Charles A. Sanislow, Carlos M. Grilo, Andrew E. Skodol, Donna S. Bender, Thomas H. Mcglashan, John G. Gunderson, Mary C. Zanarini

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

A majority of the literature on borderline personality disorder (BPD) focuses on its occurrence in women or does not specifically assess for gender differences in clinical presentations. Some studies report that men with BPD may be more likely to be diagnosed with substance use disorders, as well as paranoid, passive-aggressive, narcissistic, sadistic, and antisocial personality disorders (PDs). Additionally, women with BPD appear to be more likely to report histories of adult physical and sexual abuse and to meet diagnostic criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and eating disorders. The purpose of the present study was to further examine gender differences …

The Politics Of Helping: An Example From Guatemala, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article identifies a complexity of helping others based on beliefs in the therapeutic value of such constructs as reliving memories, venting, catharsis, and the return of the repressed.

Plausibility And Possible Determinants Of Sudden 'Remissions' In Borderline Patients, John G. Gunderson, Donna S. Bender, Charles A. Sanislow, Shirley Yen, Jennifer Bame Rettew, Regina Dolan-Sewell, Ingrid R. Dyck, Leslie C. Morey, Thomas H. Mcglashan, M. Tracie Shea, Andrew E. Skodol

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

THIS STUDY documents dramatic improvements in patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and explores their possible determinants. From a sample of the 160 carefully diagnosed borderline patients on whom prospective follow-along data was collected, a subsample of 18 was identified whose DSM-IV criteria count fell to two or fewer during the course of the first 6 months of the study and retained that improvement for the next 6 months. Follow-along data including month-by-month ratings of BPD criteria; week-by-week ratings of Axis I disorders, medication changes, and life events were then used to establish concensus ratings on four hypothesized causes: Axis …