Table 1.

Demographics for Healthy Control, Borderline Personality (BPD), and Schizotypal Personality Disorder (SPD) Groups

Characteristic	Healthy Controls (n=32)			BPD patients (n=33)			SPD patients (n=28)			t value	p value

	Mean	SD	Range	Mean	SD	Range	Mean	SD	Range	Age

Age (years):	32.8	9.7	22–57	31.6	9.1	18–51	35.9	11.0	20–55	N vs. BPD: t(63)= 0.52	0.61
Education^*:	4.53	2.78	1–9	3.85	2.29	1–8	4.0	2.05	1–8	N vs. SPD: t(59)= −1.16	0.25
Sex:	N	%		N	%		N	%	N	BPD vs. SPD: t(58)= −1.67	0.10

Male	12	38%		13	39%		16	57%	12	Education
Female	20	62%		20	61%		12	43%	20	N vs. BPD: t(63)= 1.08	0.28
Handedness:	N	%		N	%		N	%		N vs. SPD: t(59)= −0.27	0.79
Right	29	91%		29	88%		24	86%		BPD vs. SPD: t(58)= 0.83	0.41

Left	2	6%		4	12%		3	11%		Sex
Both	1	3%		0	0%		1	3%		N vs. BPD: t(63)= 0.15	0.88
Symptom Severity ^**:	-	-		7.77	1.26	5.5–10	7.27	1.15	5–10.5	N vs. SPD: t(59)= 1.53	0.13
Past MDD^***:	N	%		N	%		N	%		BPD vs. SPD: t(58)= 1.38	0.17

	-	-		21	64%		6	21%		Handedness
Psychoactive Meds:	N	%		N	%		N	%		N vs. BPD: t(63)= 0.04	0.97
Never Medicated	-	-		16	48%		23	82%		N vs. SPD: t(59)= −0.46	0.65
Previously Medicated	-	-		17^a	52%		5^b	18%		BPD vs. SPD: t(58)= −0.55	0.58

All diagnoses were made using a structured-diagnostic interview conducted by a psychologist using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I (74) and the Structured Interview for DSM-IV Personality Disorders (75), followed by a consensus meeting. Only BPD (kappa=0.82) and SPD (kappa=0.73) patients without diagnostic comorbidity were included (i.e. BPD patients without SPD traits and SPD patients without BPD traits). Exclusion criteria for all participants included severe medical or neurological illness, head injury, any prior substance dependence or substance abuse during the past six months. Healthy controls (100%) and patients (90%) were recruited through advertisements in local newspapers and the remaining patients (10%) from psychiatric outpatient clinic referrals at Mount Sinai Hospital. All participants were right handed and had a negative urine toxicology screen for drugs of abuse, and women, a negative pregnancy test on scan day.

Education = highest degree earned: 1=no high school diploma; 2=GED; 3=high school diploma; 4=technical training; 5=some college, no degree; 6=associate degree; 7=bachelor’s degree; 8=master’s degree; 9=MD/PhD/JD/PharmD.

^**

Symptom severity: For each patient, each of the DSM-IV criteria for each personality disorder was rated on a 4-point scale (0 = absent, 0.5 = somewhat present, 1.0 = definitely present/prototypic, 2.0 = severe, pervasive). As required for a DSM-IV diagnosis of BPD, these patients met at least five of the nine DSM-IV criteria. BPD patients were allowed no more than three SPD criteria with two items rated as 1.0 and one item rated as 0.5. As required for a DSM-IV diagnosis of SPD, these patients met at least five of the nine SPD criteria with a rating ≥ 1.0. SPD patients were allowed no more than three BPD criteria with two items rated as 1.0 and one item rated as 0.5 in order to control for comorbidity and/or traits. To quantify the level of clinical symptom severity, we added up the individual symptom ratings for each diagnostic criterion.

^***

MDD = past major depressive disorder (MDD) was defined as prior episode occurring > two months from the time of fMRI scan.

Of the 17 BPD patients who previously received psychoactive medications, 14 received antidepressants, 2 received antipsychotics, 2 received benzodiazepines, 3 received stimulants, and 2 received mood stabilizers.

Of the 5 SPD patients who previously received psychoactive medications, 1 received an antipsychotic, 5 received antidepressants, and 2 received stimulants.