Autonomic vulnerability to biased perception of social inclusion in borderline personality disorder

Background Individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) feel rejected even when socially included. The pathophysiological mechanisms of this rejection bias are still unknown. Using the Cyberball paradigm, we investigated whether patients with BPD, display altered physiological responses to...

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Published inBorderline personality disorder and emotion dysregulation Vol. 8; no. 1; pp. 1 - 28
Main Authors Gerra, Maria Lidia, Ardizzi, Martina, Martorana, Silvia, Leoni, Veronica, Riva, Paolo, Preti, Emanuele, Marino, Barbara Francesca Marta, Ossola, Paolo, Marchesi, Carlo, Gallese, Vittorio, De Panfilis, Chiara
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London BioMed Central Ltd 18.11.2021
BioMed Central
BMC
Subjects
Arrhythmia
Bias
Borderline personality disorder
Comorbidity
Cyberball paradigm
Diagnosis
Experiments
Inclusion
Laboratories
Nervous system
Neurophysiology
Ostracism
Personality disorders
Physiological aspects
Physiology
Polyvagal theory
Psychopathology
Rejection bias
Remission (Medicine)
Respiratory sinus arrhythmia
Social exclusion
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Summary:Background Individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) feel rejected even when socially included. The pathophysiological mechanisms of this rejection bias are still unknown. Using the Cyberball paradigm, we investigated whether patients with BPD, display altered physiological responses to social inclusion and ostracism, as assessed by changes in Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia (RSA). Methods The sample comprised 30 patients with BPD, 30 with remitted Major Depressive Disorder (rMDD) and 30 Healthy Controls (HC). Self-report ratings of threats toward one's fundamental need to belong and RSA reactivity were measured immediately after each Cyberball condition. Results Participants with BPD showed lower RSA at rest than HC. Only patients with BPD, reported higher threats to fundamental needs and exhibited a further decline in RSA after the Inclusion condition. Conclusions Individuals with BPD experience a biased appraisal of social inclusion both at the subjective and physiological level, showing higher feelings of ostracism and a breakdown of autonomic regulation to including social scenarios. Keywords: Respiratory sinus arrhythmia, Rejection bias, Cyberball paradigm, Polyvagal theory
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ISSN:2051-6673
2051-6673
DOI:10.1186/s40479-021-00169-3