Inhibitory control deficits in borderline personality disorder: a meta-analysis of stop-signal and Go/No-Go tasks
Abstract
Background: Impulsivity, a multifaceted construct, is a core feature of borderline personality disorder (BPD), associated with functional impairment and suicide mortality. Findings on motor inhibitory control, a key dimension of impulsivity, in BPD are heterogeneous.
Methods: This PRISMA-guided meta-analysis examines motor inhibitory control in adults with BPD compared to healthy controls (HCs), using Stop-Signal Task and Go/No-Go Task data. Thirty-seven datasets from 35 articles were included.
Results: Results from random-effect models suggest that BPD patients exhibit significantly higher motor inhibitory control deficits than HCs, with a small to moderate effect size. Contrary to common assumptions, a mixed-model effect found that emotional factors did not moderate inhibitory control in BPD. Finally, the meta-analysis revealed that self-reported impulsivity measures did not correlate with task performance, suggesting that subjective and objective measures of impulsivity may assess different facets of the construct.
Conclusions: These findings highlight the need for greater standardization of task-based measures of impulsivity, as methodological heterogeneity and quality currently limit replicability across studies.
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Evidence Hub reads this as a meta-analysis, done in people. Its evidence level is 1 of 5 (Highest · pooled evidence). Pooled evidence from several studies sits at the top of the evidence pyramid.
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