Am J Psychiatry 1990; 147:1014-1017
Copyright © 1990 by American Psychiatric Association
Altered platelet alpha 2-adrenergic receptor binding sites in borderline personality disorder
SM Southwick, R Yehuda, EL Giller Jr and BD Perry
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Unit, West Haven VA Medical Center, Conn.
The authors found significantly fewer total platelet alpha 2-adrenergic
receptor binding sites in 13 nonmedicated patients with borderline
personality disorder than in 11 patients with borderline personality
disorder who were receiving low doses of benzodiazepines and 18
nonpsychiatric control subjects. The two patient groups showed comparable
degrees of depression as assessed by the Hamilton Rating Scale for
Depression. However, nonmedicated borderline patients were considerably
more anxious than medicated patients, raising the possibility that lower
alpha 2-adrenergic receptor binding in borderline personality disorder is
related to anxiety.
