Electroencephalogram abnormalities in borderline personality disorder

Abstract

Background: Borderline personality disorder (BPD) shows aberrant behavior, which is associated with difficulties in emotions and processing. Seizure-like activity has been invoked as underlying factors in BPD. However, the occurrence and significance of electroencephalogram (EEG) abnormalities in BPD received little attention. The aim of this study was to assess the EEG abnormalities in BPD and to compare with healthy controls. Methods: Sixty consecutive BPD patients attending the psychiatry unit and 60 healthy controls were selected for the study. All were subjected for EEG assessment and appropriate statistical analysis was done. Results: There was no significance in sociodemographic profile between cases and controls. Thirty-one percent of cases had EEG abnormalities and only 3.3% of the controls had EEG abnormalities. 19 of the 60 patients had EEG abnormalities of which 2 (10.5%) had mild , 6 (31.5%) moderate, and 11 (57.8%) had severe category of BPD. Predominantly, sharp waves and spike waves were seen in severe type and nonspecific waves (slowing) in mild and moderate types. Conclusion: EEG abnormalities were significantly higher in BPD than healthy population. However, the electrophysiological investigation of BPD is limited, and no longitudinal studies have been attempted so far. Longitudinal studies are particularly useful to reveal the electrophysiological aberrations in BPD.

Keywords

• borderline personality disorder
• electroencephalogram
• focal slowing
• sharp waves