Association between 5-HTTLPR and Borderline Personality Disorder Traits among Youth

Caroline W Oppenheimer,John R Z Abela,Andrea L Barrocas,Andrew Smolen,Jessica Jenness,Jami Young,Lisa S Badanes,Benjamin L Hankin

doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2011.00006

Abstract

This study provides the first genetic association examination of borderline personality disorder (BPD) traits in children and adolescents (ages 9–15) using two independent samples of youth recruited from the general community. We tested the a priori hypothesis that the serotonin transporter promoter gene (5-HTTLPR) would relate specifically to BPD traits in youth. This association was hypothesized based on prior genetic association research with BPD adults and theory positing that emotion dysregulation may be a core risk process contributing to BPD. Youth provided DNA via buccal cells. Both youth and a parent completed self-report measures assessing youth's BPD traits and depressive symptoms. Results from both Study 1 (N = 242) and an independent replication sample of Study 2 (N = 144) showed that carriers of the short allele of 5-HTTLPR exhibited the highest levels of BPD traits. This relation was observed even after controlling for the substantial co-occurrence between BPD traits and depressive symptoms. This specific association between 5-HTTLPR and BPD traits among youth supports previous genetic associations with adults diagnosed with BPD and provides preliminary support for a developmental extension of etiological risk for BPD among youth.

Highlights

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a severe and persistent psychopathological disorder characterized by unstable and intense interpersonal relationships, impulsive behavior, and extreme dysregulated mood and emotion, among other traits, leading to marked difficulty with cognitive, emotional, and behavioral functioning (American Psychiatric Association, 2000)
Analyses were conducted with youth with complete data on both BPD traits and 5-HTTLPR (i.e., N = 144), and we present analyses when parent- and youth-reported traits were combined together for parsimony
This study provided the first investigation of the link between 5-HTTLPR and BPD traits in youth

Summary

Introduction

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a severe and persistent psychopathological disorder characterized by unstable and intense interpersonal relationships, impulsive behavior, and extreme dysregulated mood and emotion, among other traits, leading to marked difficulty with cognitive, emotional, and behavioral functioning (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). BPD traits assessed in youth predict future diagnosis of BPD in adulthood (Winograd et al, 2008), as well as other forms of maladjustment, including eating and weight problems (Johnson et al, 2006a), a greater likelihood of developing Axis I disorders (Johnson et al, 2006b), lower life satisfaction (Winograd et al, 2008), and diminished quality of life (Chen et al, 2006) Such developmental epidemiological data clearly highlight the need for additional research investigating etiological risk factors and processes that may contribute to BPD in youth. The main purpose of this study was to conduct the first candidate gene association study of BPD traits in youth in order to provide initial, preliminary data on molecular genetic risks to BPD among children and adolescence

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Conclusion