Arch Gen Psychiat
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Comparative Study
Amygdalar volume and behavioral development in autism.
The amygdala is associated with socioemotional function and has been implicated in the pathophysiology of autism. ⋯ Larger right amygdalar volume at 3 and 4 years of age, but not left amygdalar, hippocampal, or total cerebral volume, is associated with a more severe clinical course and worse outcome at age 6 years in children with autism spectrum disorder. These results provide additional evidence that amygdalar development is implicated in the behavioral impairments found in autism.
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Comparative Study
Neural correlates of antinociception in borderline personality disorder.
A characteristic feature of borderline personality disorder (BPD) is self-injurious behavior in conjunction with stress-induced reduction of pain perception. Reduced pain sensitivity has been experimentally confirmed in patients with BPD, but the neural correlates of antinociceptive mechanisms in BPD are unknown. We predicted that heat stimuli in patients with BPD would activate brain areas concerned with cognitive and emotional evaluation of pain. ⋯ The interaction between increased pain-induced response in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and deactivation in the anterior cingulate and the amygdala is associated with an antinociceptive mechanism in patients with BPD.