Tracts of the corpus callosum (CC) projected on the diffusion weighted image of one healthy control (HC) participant. Red, green and blue represent left to right, anterior to posterior and superior to inferior directions, respectively. Right: masks of the CC projected on the Collins MNI-reference brain. The genu is colored in blue, the body in red and the splenius in green.
A new study in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience suggests that there is a correlation between borderline personality disorder (BPD) and structural alterations in the corpus callosum (CC – the largest white matter tract in the human brain that functionally connects related brain regions in the two hemispheres). Specifically the study, published on the 24th of April, reveals a positive correlation between BPD suicidal behaviour and structural alterations in regions of the CC that are connected with brain regions implicated in emotion regulation and impulse control. These alterations may account for the difficulties in emotional regulation and impulse control typical in BPD and in leading to BPD suicidal behaviour.
In summarising the study the researches stated that among their BPD participants, suicidal behavior was associated with structural alterations in regions of the CC that are connected with prefrontal and tempo-parietal brain regions implicated in emotion regulation, impulse control and problem-solving. Compared to the healthy control participants, BPD participants with suicidal behaviour showed more structural alterations in these regions than BPD participants without suicidal behaviour. Structural alterations in distinct regions of the CC may, thus, account for deficits in emotion regulation and impulse control that ultimately lead to suicidal behavior in BPD.
Source: Frontiers
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