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Multiple endogenous neurotransmitter systems and brain circuits have been implicated in the emotional dysregulation seen in patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD). Of particular interest is the opioid system, because it may affect emotional and stress regulation and because patients with BPD have altered pain thresholds. Using positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance scans, investigators compared concentrations of µ-opioid receptors in several brain regions at baseline and after sustained sadness was induced in 18 female patients with BPD and 14 age-matched comparison women.
At baseline, patients had greater deactivation of µ-opioid receptors (i.e., higher receptor occupancy by PET ligand) than controls in many …