Biological Advances in Personality Disorders

Neurobiological studies have focused primarily on DSM-IV axis I disorders, as they display extensive, and often severe and episodic symptomatology. However, there is an emerging focus on the neurobiology of personality disorders, consisting largely of maladaptive traits that impair functioning and adaptation to the environment. These clusters of maladapative traits are partially heritable, associated with specific candidate genes that are beginning to be identified by preliminary genetic studies, and are grounded in specific neurocircuitry changes; borderline personality disorder (BPD), antisocial personality disorder (ASPD), and schizotypal personality disorder (STPD) have been the most studied and have the largest empirical evidence. Greater understanding of the neurobiological grounding of these disorders will in part inform the conceptualization of personality disorders in the new nonaxial diagnostic system in DSM−5.