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Current research indicates altered inhibitory functioning in borderline personality disorder (BPD). The emotional stroop task is a widely used method for investigating inhibition of interference. In the present study we used an individualized version of the emotional stroop task to investigate inhibitory functioning in BPD with respect not only to valence but also to personal relevance of the stimuli. Thirty-one BPD patients and 49 healthy controls performed the individual emotional stroop task that consisted of (1) words related to personal negative life events that were currently relevant (2) words related to personal negative life events that were not currently relevant, (3) negative words that were not personally relevant, and (4) neutral words. BPD patients showed greater interference only for words related to personal negative life events with current relevance. A comparison between BPD patients with and without posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) revealed reduced inhibitory functioning only in BPD patients with PTSD. Inhibition of interference in BPD patients seems not to be altered in general but is exclusively disturbed in those with comorbid PTSD when highly relevant personal factors are the focus of attention.
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is characterized by a pervasive pat- tern of instability of interpersonal relationships, self-image, affect and marked impulsivity beginning in early adulthood. Emotional dysregulation has been emphasized as a core difficulty in patients with a diagnosis of BPD (Lieb, Zanarini, Schmahl, Ltaehan, & Bohus, 2004; Lynch et>d., 2006; Posner et al., 2003). Psychophysiological investigations have confirmed this observation by demonstrating an exaggerated startle reflex in BPD patients, which is a marker of amygdala hyperresponsivity (EbnerPriemer et al., 2005). Furthermore, neuroimaging studies have found an Increased responsiveness of the amygdala to negatively valenced pictures or to facial expressions of emotion (Donegan et al., 2003; Herpertz et al., 2001). Inhibition of emotions or related responses is one key mechanism of emotion regulation, and according to Gross (2002) is the "process by which we influence which emotions we have, when we have them, and how we experience and express them" (p. 282).
A widely used method for investigating inhibition of interference is the emotional stroop task. In this test subjects have to name the colors in which words are printed. The stimuli vary concerning valence and/or relevance, and depending on the...