"Patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) present dysfunctions of the default mode network (DMN). Mindfulness training has proven effective to improve the symptoms of BPD. The present study examines the effect of mindfulness training on BPD symptomatology and DMN activity during the performance of a working memory task in patients with BPD. Sixty-five individuals with BPD were randomized to receive psychotherapy with either the mindfulness module of dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT-M) or with interpersonal effectiveness module (DBT-IE). The impact of treatments was evaluated with clinical and mindfulness variables as well as with functional magnetic resonance imaging during performance of the task. Both groups showed improvement in BPD symptoms and other clinical variables after treatment. Unexpectedly, there were no between-group differences in DMN activation or deactivation. However, activation of the left anterior insula increased in both groups after the intervention. Compared with the control group, participants in the DBT-M group presented higher deactivation in a cluster extending bilaterally from the calcarine to the cuneus and superior occipital gyri."

"Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a severe mental disorder, characterized by a pronounced instability in affect, cognition, interpersonal relationships, and behavior. Over the last decade, the understanding of possible neurobiological underpinnings of BPD has increased rapidly. There is growing consensus that mental disorders might be better understood in terms of network dysfunction, including functional and structural alterations in large-scale intrinsic brain networks. In this chapter, we give an overview over recent neuroimaging research in BPD, focusing on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies. 

Converging evidence suggests disturbances in default-mode and salience network regions and in a corticolimbic circuitry involving the amygdala, hippocampus, insula, anterior cingulate, orbitofrontal cortex, and medial prefrontal cortex in BPD. These alterations may underlie clinical symptoms such as the marked expressions of emotion dysregulation, impulsivity, and interpersonal disturbances in individuals with the disorder. It remains an important topic for future research to clarify whether these structural and functional abnormalities are specific to BPD or related to other factors, such as a history of traumatic events in childhood. Given the complexity of BPD psychopathology, combining multiple measures in research may help to enhance the understanding of possible underlying mechanisms."