Department of Psychiatry, General University Hospital of Elche, 03203 Elche, Spain.
Department of Behavioral and Health Sciences, Miguel Hernández University of Elche, San Juan de Alicante, 03202 Elche, Spain.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Mar 19;18(6):3193. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18063193.
The purpose of this study is to examine whether theory of mind (ToM) is an endophenotypic marker of borderline personality disorder (BPD), thus constituting an etiopathogenic factor of the disease. This would suggest familial vulnerability to BPD. This was a case-control study involving 146 individuals with 57 BPD patients, 32 first-degree relatives, and 57 controls (median age of BPD and control = 33.4 years; relatives = 52.9 years; BPD females and controls = 91.2%; female relatives = 62.5%). All the participants completed the Spanish version of the Movie for the Assessment of Social Cognition test to evaluate the ToM subclassification: interpretation of emotions, thoughts and intentions. BPD patients and their healthy first-degree relatives exhibited significant deficits in the correct interpretation of emotions and intentions compared to healthy controls. Both patients with BPD and their healthy first-degree relatives exhibited significant deficits in ToM, which suggests that it may be an etiopathogenic factor of BPD, and ToM (interpretation of emotions, thoughts and intentions) is a possible endophenotypic marker of BPD, suggesting a genetic predisposition to the disorder. Therefore, ToM could be considered as an indicator for the early detection of the disorder of and intervention for BPD.
本研究旨在探讨心理理论（ToM）是否为边缘型人格障碍（BPD）的内表型标志物，从而构成该疾病的发病因素。这表明该病存在家族易感性。这是一项病例对照研究，共纳入 146 名个体，其中 57 名为 BPD 患者、32 名一级亲属和 57 名对照者（BPD 患者和对照组的中位年龄=33.4 岁；亲属组=52.9 岁；BPD 女性和对照组=91.2%；女性亲属=62.5%）。所有参与者均完成了西班牙版电影评估社会认知测验，以评估心理理论的亚分类：情绪、想法和意图的解释。与健康对照组相比，BPD 患者及其健康一级亲属在正确解释情绪和意图方面存在明显缺陷。BPD 患者及其健康一级亲属的心理理论均存在明显缺陷，这表明心理理论可能是 BPD 的发病因素，心理理论（情绪、想法和意图的解释）可能是 BPD 的内表型标志物，提示该病存在遗传易感性。因此，心理理论可被视为 BPD 早期检测和干预的指标。
