Evaluation of behavioral impulsivity and aggression tasks as endophenotypes for borderline personality disorder

Abstract

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is marked by aggression and impulsive, often self-destructive behavior. Despite the severe risks associated with BPD, relatively little is known about the disorder’s etiology. Identification of genetic correlates (endophenotypes) of BPD would improve the prospects of targeted interventions for more homogeneous subsets of borderline patients characterized by specific genetic vulnerabilities. The current study evaluated behavioral measures of aggression and impulsivity as potential endophenotypes for BPD. Subjects with BPD (N = 127), a non cluster B personality disorder (OPD N = 122), or healthy volunteers (HV N = 112) completed self report and behavioral measures of aggression, motor impulsivity and cognitive impulsivity. Results showed that BPD subjects demonstrated more aggression and motor impulsivity than HV (but not OPD) subjects on behavioral tasks. In contrast, BPD subjects self-reported more impulsivity and aggression than either comparison group. Subsequent analyses showed that among BPD subjects behavioral aggression was associated with self-reported aggression, while behavioral and self-report impulsivity measures were more modestly associated. Overall, the results provide partial support for the use of behavioral measures of aggression and motor impulsivity as endophenotypes for BPD, with stronger support for behavioral aggression measures as an endophenotype for aggression within BPD samples.

DSM-5 Borderline Personality Disorder: At the Border Between a Dimensional and a Categorical View

“…Thus, it remains debatable whether these tasks tap an endophenotype. McCloskey et al [46] evaluated the use of behavioral measures of (motor) impulsivity and aggression as endophenotypes for BPD but only found partial support. Much research has focused on structural and functional abnormalities in brain areas related to emotion and impulsivity, and these areas may also serve as endophenotypes for BPD, although they are not always presented as such.…”

Zolmitriptan and human aggression: interaction with alcohol

“…This ratio measure was used to account for shifts in behavior induced by both (a) potentiation of aggressive responding (button B) and (b) changes in motor output indexed by highrate responding on the monetary-earning response option (button A). Because A responses account for >95% of all responding on the PSAP (see Table 1), this measure is roughly equivalent to the ratio of aggressive/total responses, an index used by previous investigators (McCloskey et al 2009b).…”

Borderline Personality Features in Students: The Predicting Role of Traumatic Experiences and Aggressive Traits

“…Aggressiveness is a trait disposition rather than an identical construct (25). McCloskey et al (10) assert that individuals with BPD mostly engage in physical aggression, verbal aggression, anger, and hostility as aggression dimensions that were tested in our canonical function and the obtained results proved their predictive role in developing BPD. It has been well established that aggression is secondary to affective instability and emotion dysregulation (10); both of which are the core features of BPD (26).…”

“…Indeed, impulsivity, uncontrollable aggression, and self-aggression represent three of the nine criteria of BPD. Impulsive behavior and aggressiveness are also correlated with biological defects including serotonergic dysregulation and malfunction of frontal-limbic circuits that are also exist in BPD (10). Aggressiveness in BPD can appear in different kinds of behaviors, such as property demolition, domestic violence, offensive behaviors, self-harm, suicidal behavior, substance abuse (6), high risk sexual behavior, and angry outburst (8).…”