This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Affective instability is one of the core features of a variety of personality disorders. It is a mood symptom that can be present even in the absence of an axis I affective disorder, yet it can be highly debilitating. Affective instability appears to be a trait that runs in families and is associated with a heightened responsiveness of the cholinergic system. In a study in our laboratory (Steinberg et al 1995), borderline personality disorder (BPD) patients showed a greater depressive response to physostigmine than normal controls, while other personality disorder patients did not differ from the normal controls. More recently neuroimaging studies (Herpertz, S. C., T. M. Dietrich, et al. (2001)). have shown that BPD patients show increased activity in the amygdale and other regions compared to healthy controls while viewing negative emotion inducing pictures. The present study is designed to extend his work to investigate possible mechanisms for the increased activity in BPD patients. We will examine two possible mechanisms: (1) failure of BPD patients to habituate to negative emotional stimuli and (2) failure of BPD patients to utilize conscious cognitive strategies to modulate their emotional reactions. This request for GCRC imaging core support is intended to develop pilot data for a planned submission for external funding. In the past this investigator was successful in using GCRC supported pilot imaging data to obtain NIH funding for a study of working memory in the schizophrenia spectrum (1RO1 MH069947-01A1).
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