ABSTRACT
Brain imaging techniques, which have been developing rapidly, have enhanced the scientific understanding of pathophysiology in a number of psychiatric disorders. However, in contrast to the explosive expansion in the structural and functional imaging literature in schizophrenia, major depression, bipolar disorder, and other non-psychotic disorders including obsessive-compulsive disorder and panic disorder, brain imaging studies in borderline personality disorder (BPD) have been relatively scarce. The paucity of imaging studies in BPD may also be, in part, due to the fact that BPD subjects frequently have co-morbid major psychiatric disorders for which structural and functional brain abnormalities have been consistently reported. However, recent standardized diagnostic tools and severity assessments for BPD have increased the reliability and validity of the BPD diagnosis. In addition, further improvements and advancements in brain imaging techniques have allowed us to detect more subtle brain changes.
