Am J Psychiatry 1994; 151:277-280
Copyright © 1994 by American Psychiatric Association
Serotonergic sensitivity in borderline personality disorder: preliminary findings
E Hollander, DJ Stein, CM DeCaria, L Cohen, JB Saoud, AE Skodol, D Kellman, L Rosnick and JM Oldham
Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, New York.
Twelve patients with borderline personality disorder and 15 healthy
comparison subjects were challenged with single doses of oral m-
chlorophenylpiperazine (m-CPP) and placebo. Following m-CPP, the patients
experienced decreased anger and fear. Seven of the 12 patients reported a
"spacy," "high," depersonalized/derealized experience following m-CPP,
which was confirmed by clinicians' ratings. Compared with the normal male
subjects, the male patients with borderline personality disorder had higher
cortisol levels and marginally blunted prolactin responses after receiving
m-CPP. These results suggest serotonergic dysfunction in borderline
personality disorder.
