VOLUMES OF THE HIPPOCAMPUS AND AMYGDALA IN PATIENTS WITH BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER: A META-ANALYSIS

Individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD) often exhibit im-pulsive and aggressive behavior. The hippocampus and amygdala form part of the limbic system, which plays a central role in controlling such expressions of emotional reactivity. There are mixed results in the liter-ature regarding whether patients with BPD have smaller hippocampal and amygdalar volume relative to healthy controls. To clarify the precise nature of these mixed results, we performed a meta-analysis to aggre-gate data on the size of the hippocampus and amygdala in patients with BPD. Seven publications involving six studies and a total of 104 pa-tients with BPD and 122 healthy controls were included. A significantly smaller volume was found in both the right and left hippocampi and amygdala of patients with BPD compared to healthy controls. These findings raise the possibility that reduced hippocampal and amygdalar volumes are biological substrates of some symptoms of BPD. In the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (American Psychiatric Association, 1994), Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is described as a pervasive pattern of instability in interpersonal relation-ships, self-image and affects, and marked impulsivity beginning in early adulthood. BPD is a common psychiatric disorder affecting 0.7 % (Coid