2017/05/27 by Sarah K. Fineberg, Fineberg, Sarah K, J. R. C. Leavitt +13
Psychology · #Digital Mental Health Interventions #FOS: Biological sciences #Mental Health Research Topics #Neurons and Cognition (q-bio.NC) #Personality Disorders and Psychopathology
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1705.09873
openalex publication_date 2017/05/27 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Personal space (PS) regulation is a key component of effective social\nengagement. PS varies among individuals and is regulated by brain circuits\ninvolving the amygdala and the frontoparietal network. Others have reported\nthat simulated PS intrusions suggest larger preferred interpersonal distance\n(PID) and a central role of amygdala hyperactivity in PS regulation in\nBorderline Personality Disorder (BPD). This study is the first report of live\ninterpersonal distance preferences and relation to specific symptoms in BPD. We\nfound a 2-fold larger PID in BPD than control (n=30, n=23). There were no\nsignificant differences in PID in BPD subject by medication status or pre-study\ndiagnosis, and no significant correlations between PID and intensity of BPD,\nmood, anxiety, impulsive, or psychotic symptoms. In summary, PID is larger in\nBPD than control subjects. Unexpectedly, BPD subject PID did not differ in by\nmedication status and did not correlate with intensity of any of the symptom\ntypes tested. We discuss these findings in context of severe attachment\ndisturbances in BPD and the relationship between metaphoric social distance in\nthe attachment framework. Future work is needed to identify neural circuits\nunderlying PS regulation in BPD, individual differences in attachment, and\nrelationship to symptom trajectory.\n