Citation

Chu J, Zheng K, Yi J. Prog. Neuropsychopharmacol. Biol. Psychiatry 2021; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.pnpbp.2021.110472

PMID

34742774

Abstract

Aggressive behaviors are prevalent among patients with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). Neuroimaging studies have linked aggression in BPD patients to neurochemical, structural, functional, and metabolic alterations in various brain regions, especially in frontal-limbic areas. This systematic review summarizes current neuroimaging results on aggression among BPD patients and provides an overview of relevant brain mechanisms. A systematic search of PubMed and Web of Science databases, in addition to manual check of references, identified thirty-two eligible articles, including two magnetic resonance spectrum (MRS), thirteen structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI), six functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and eleven positron emission tomography (PET) studies. The reviewed studies have highlighted the abnormalities in prefrontal cortices and limbic structures including amygdala and hippocampus. Less studies have zoomed in the roles of parietal and temporal regions or taken a network perspective. Connectivity studies have shed light on the importance of the frontal-limbic interactions in regulating aggression. Conflicted findings might be attributed to disparity in controlling gender, anatomical subdivisions, and comorbidities, which shall be considered in future studies.

Language: en

Keywords

Aggression; Borderline personality disorder; Neuroimaging