Department for General Psychiatry, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
Horm Behav. 2013 Mar;63(3):424-9. doi: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2012.11.013. Epub 2012 Nov 29.
The neuropeptide oxytocin is involved in social cognition and interaction across species and plays a crucial role in the regulation of affiliative behaviors. Oxytocin levels in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), but also in plasma or urine, have been shown to be negatively associated with childhood traumata, aggressive behavior, and suicide attempts. Recently, an altered activity of the oxytocin system has been discussed to play a prominent role in borderline personality disorder (BPD), which is thought to be closely related to traumatic experiences in childhood and is characterized by (para)suicidal behaviors as well as aggressive outbursts. In the present study, we compared plasma oxytocin levels of women with and without BPD in the follicular phase and assessed the relationship between oxytocin concentrations and childhood traumata. Women diagnosed with BPD had significantly reduced oxytocin concentrations, even after controlling for estrogen, progesterone, and contraceptive intake. In addition, plasma oxytocin correlated negatively with experiences of childhood traumata, in particular with emotional neglect and abuse. The results of mediation analyses do not support a model of oxytocin being a prominent mediator in the link between childhood trauma and BPD. Thus, the findings indicate dysregulations in the oxytocin system of patients diagnosed with BPD with more longitudinal research being necessary to disentangle the relationship between childhood adversities, oxytocin system, and psychopathology.
神经肽催产素参与跨物种的社会认知和互动，在调节亲和行为方面起着至关重要的作用。脑脊液 (CSF) 中的催产素水平，以及血浆或尿液中的催产素水平，与儿童创伤、攻击行为和自杀企图呈负相关。最近，有人认为催产素系统的活动改变在边缘性人格障碍 (BPD) 中起着突出的作用，BPD 被认为与儿童时期的创伤经历密切相关，其特征是（拟）自杀行为以及攻击性爆发。在本研究中，我们比较了滤泡期 BPD 女性和非 BPD 女性的血浆催产素水平，并评估了催产素浓度与儿童创伤之间的关系。即使在控制了雌激素、孕激素和避孕药的摄入后，被诊断患有 BPD 的女性的催产素浓度也明显降低。此外，血浆催产素与儿童创伤经历呈负相关，特别是与情感忽视和虐待有关。中介分析的结果不支持催产素作为儿童创伤与 BPD 之间联系的主要中介物的模型。因此，这些发现表明，被诊断患有 BPD 的患者的催产素系统存在失调，需要进行更多的纵向研究，以厘清儿童逆境、催产素系统和精神病理学之间的关系。
