1. Cardiac autonomic function during sleep of never-depressed borderline subjects: a pilot study.
- Author
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Battaglia M, Ferini-Strambi L, Smirne S, Bernardeschi L, Oldani A, and Bellodi L
- Subjects
- Adrenergic Fibers physiology, Adult, Antisocial Personality Disorder diagnosis, Antisocial Personality Disorder psychology, Cholinergic Fibers physiology, Depressive Disorder diagnosis, Depressive Disorder physiopathology, Depressive Disorder psychology, Female, Humans, Male, Pilot Projects, Polysomnography, Reference Values, Antisocial Personality Disorder physiopathology, Arousal physiology, Autonomic Nervous System physiopathology, Heart Rate physiology, Sleep Stages physiology
- Abstract
In a controlled 48 h ambulatory polysomnographic study of never-depressed subjects with DSM-III-R borderline (BDL) personality disorder (PD) we obtained measures of tonic and phasic heart rate variability. Subjects with BDL PD showed a significantly smaller index of tonic heart rate decrease during NREM sleep than normal controls. This is unlikely to be a state-dependent finding and it may derive from relative augmentation of adrenergic function compared to cholinergic function between wakefulness and NREM sleep. Hyperadrenergic states in BDL PD have already been suggested by studies of other biological indicators: a smaller index of tonic heart rate decrease may be a further correlate of core psychobiological dimensions such as impulsivity and affective instability.
- Published
- 1995
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