(PS4-98) The Role of Neuropsychology in the Treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder: A Scoping Review and Clinical Implications

Abstract Text: Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a serious psychological illness with profound physical and mental health correlates (e.g., elevated distress, self-harm, suicidality). Though estimated to affect up to 5.9% of the general population, prevalence rates are significantly higher in treatment settings, with some estimates ranging as high as 40%. Impairments across a broad range of neuropsychological domains are hypothesized to drive BPD symptomatology, such as increased amygdala activation and social threat hypersensitivity. Though cognitive factors such as stronger executive function and visual memory have been found to predict positive treatment outcomes, clarity is needed to elucidate the role of neuropsychology within BPD treatment. As such, this scoping review aims to synthesize existing literature on the integration of neuropsychological assessment and treatment within BPD treatment settings. Using scoping review methodology, 1027 studies from healthcare research databases (i.e., Medline, Embase, PsychInfo, and CINAHL) were screened. Results indicated that neuropsychology has been integrated into BPD treatment across a range of disciplines, including psychiatry, medicine, clinical psychology, and biomedical engineering. Neuropsychological deficits associated with BPD were consistently observed across studies, emphasizing the importance of comprehensive treatment approaches. The findings underscore the importance of considering neuropsychological factors in the conceptualization and treatment of BPD and provide an important base for future research.