Brain structural and functional alterations in adolescents with borderline personality disorder: A systematic review and a research agenda

Abstract

Adolescent borderline personality disorder (aBPD) is linked to severe psychological problems and social dysfunction in the affected adolescents. However, the neural bases of this disorder are still poorly understood. The objective of this review is to summarize the current understanding of brain structural and functional alterations identified by neuroimaging methods and to propose future research directions. This systematic review identified widespread alterations of three main brain networks in aBPD, i.e., the Central Executive Network, the Default Mode Network, and the Affective Network. We also provide insights for future research using novel analytical techniques and artificial intelligence, to facilitate the identification of potential neuroimaging biomarkers for aBPD. The potential for targeting the dysfunctional networks via neurostimulation method is also discussed from a theoretical and hypothesis-generating perspective.