CHRISTIAN SINGLES
GUIDE TO ONLINE DATING ADVICE
NIMH-funded neuroscience research is revealing brain
mechanisms underlying the impulsivity, mood instability,
aggression, anger, and negative emotion seen in BPD.
Studies suggest that people predisposed to impulsive
aggression have impaired regulation of the neural circuits
that modulate emotion.10
The amygdala, a small almond-shaped structure deep inside
the brain, is an important component of the circuit that
regulates negative emotion. In response to signals from
other brain centers indicating a perceived threat, it
marshals fear and arousal. This might be more pronounced
under the influence of drugs like alcohol, or stress.
Areas in the front of the brain (pre-frontal area) act to
dampen the activity of this circuit. Recent brain imaging
studies show that individual differences in the ability to
activate regions of the prefrontal cerebral cortex thought
to be involved in inhibitory activity predict the ability
to suppress negative emotion.11
Serotonin, norepinephrine and acetylcholine are among
the chemical messengers in these circuits that play a role
in the regulation of emotions, including sadness, anger,
anxiety, and irritability. Drugs that enhance brain
serotonin function may improve emotional symptoms in BPD.
Likewise, mood-stabilizing drugs that are known to enhance
the activity of GABA, the brain's major inhibitory
neurotransmitter, may help people who experience BPD-like
mood swings. Such brain-based vulnerabilities can be
managed with help from behavioral interventions and
medications, much like people manage susceptibility to
diabetes or high blood pressure.7
CHRISTIAN SINGLES, LEARN TO RECOGNIZE
THE SYMPTOMS OF BPD
Future Progress
Studies that translate basic findings about the neural
basis of temperament, mood regulation, and cognition into
clinically relevant insights�which bear directly on
BPD�represent a growing area of NIMH-supported
research. Research is also underway to test the efficacy
of combining medications with behavioral treatments like
DBT, and gauging the effect of childhood abuse and other
stress in BPD on brain hormones. Data from the first
prospective, longitudinal study of BPD, which began in the
early 1990s, is expected to reveal how treatment affects
the course of the illness. It will also pinpoint specific
environmental factors and personality traits that predict
a more favorable outcome. The Institute is also
collaborating with a private foundation to help attract
new researchers to develop a better understanding and
better treatment for BPD.
