A preliminary double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of divalproex sodium in borderline personality disorder.

BACKGROUND: Borderline personality disorder is characterized by affective instability, impulsivity, and aggression and is associated with considerable morbidity and mortality. Since anticonvulsant agents may be helpful in such symptomatology, we compared divalproex sodium with placebo in patients with borderline personality disorder. METHOD: A 10-week, parallel, double-blind design was conducted. Sixteen outpatients meeting Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis II Personality Disorders criteria for borderline personality disorder were randomly assigned to receive placebo (N = 4) or divalproex sodium (N = 12). Change was assessed in global symptom severity (Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement Scale [CGI-I]) and functioning (Global Assessment Scale [GAS]) as well as in specific core symptoms (depression, aggression, irritability, and suicidality). RESULTS: There was significant improvement from baseline in both global measures (CGI-I and GAS) following divalproex sodium treatment. A high dropout rate precluded finding significant differences between the treatment groups in the intent-to-treat analyses, although all results were in the predicted direction. CONCLUSION: Treatment with divalproex sodium may be more effective than placebo for global symptomatology, level of functioning, aggression, and depression. Controlled trials with larger sample sizes are warranted to confirm these preliminary results.

Limbic circuitry in patients with autism spectrum disorders studied with positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance imaging.

OBJECTIVE: Cytoarchitectonic changes in the anterior cingulate cortex, hippocampus, subiculum, entorhinal cortex, amygdala, mammillary bodies, and septum were reported in a postmortem study of autism. Previously, the authors found smaller cingulate volume and decreased metabolism of the cingulate in seven autistic patients. In this study, they measured the volume and glucose metabolism of the amygdala, hippocampus, and cingulate gyrus in an expanded group of 17 patients with autism spectrum disorders (autism [N=10] or Asperger's disorder [N=7]) and 17 age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers. METHOD: Subjects performed a serial verbal learning test during (18)F-deoxyglucose uptake. The amygdala, hippocampus, and cingulate gyrus were outlined on magnetic resonance imaging scans, volumes of the structures were applied to matching coregistered positron emission tomography scans, and three-dimensional significance probability mapping was performed. RESULTS: Significant metabolic reductions in both the anterior and posterior cingulate gyri were visualized in the patients with autism spectrum disorders. Both Asperger's and autism patients had relative glucose hypometabolism in the anterior and posterior cingulate as confirmed by analysis of variance; regional differences were also found with three-dimensional significance probability mapping. No group differences were found in either the metabolism or the volume of the amygdala or the hippocampus. However, patients with autism spectrum disorders showed reduced volume of the right anterior cingulate gyrus, specifically in Brodmann's area 24'. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers, patients with autism spectrum disorders showed significantly decreased metabolism in both the anterior and posterior cingulate gyri.