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Neuropsychological functioning in patients with borderline personality disorder
Author(s) -
Sprock June,
Rader Theresa J.,
Kendall Jeffrey P.,
Yoder Carol Y.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.124
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1097-4679
pISSN - 0021-9762
DOI - 10.1002/1097-4679(200012)56:12<1587::aid-9>3.0.co;2-g
Subject(s) - borderline personality disorder , psychology , neuropsychology , cognition , clinical psychology , cognitive skill , executive functions , psychiatry
Although results have been variable, studies suggest that individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD) exhibit cognitive deficits suggestive of frontal‐ and temporal‐lobe dysfunction. Patients diagnosed with BPD ( n = 18) using two structured interviews, and who were carefully screened for neurological and substance‐use disorders, were compared to depressed patients ( n = 18) and a nonpsychiatric control group ( n = 18) on a series of neuropsychological tasks. The role of emotion on cognitive functioning was assessed by including emotional stimuli and interference on several of the tasks. Little support was found for the neurobehavioral hypothesis of BPD. The BPD group performance did not differ from the normal group on most tasks of executive functioning or memory, and the introduction of emotional stimuli did not impair performance. The depressed group performed less effectively than the other groups. Reasons for variable findings and factors affecting the cognitive functioning of patients with BPD are discussed. There may be considerable heterogeneity in the cognitive functioning of BPD patients, with those exhibiting significant cognitive deficits comprising only a subgroup. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Clin Psychol 56: 1587–1600, 2000.