Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is characterized by severe interpersonal dysfunction with problems in social cognition, empathy and social approach. Although the neuropeptide oxytocin is known to regulate complex social cognition and behavior in healthy individuals and clinical populations, there is still a lack of evidence for a potential beneficial effect of oxytocin administration on social cognition and social approach in BPD. Fifty-one women with BPD and 51 matched healthy controls were randomized to a double-blind, placebo-controlled, between-subject experimental trial. We administered a single dose of 24 IU oxytocin or placebo intranasally prior to a standardized task measuring affective and cognitive empathy and approach motivation. All participants were free of hormonal contraception and tested in the mid-luteal phase of their menstrual cycle. In the placebo condition, patients with BPD showed reduced cognitive and affective empathy, and less approach behavior motivation than healthy controls. Intranasal oxytocin significantly increased affective empathy and approach motivation in both BPD patients and healthy controls compared to placebo. More importantly, oxytocin administration led to similar scores between BPD and healthy controls. These findings provide the first evidence for a beneficial effect of oxytocin on deficits in affective empathy and approach motivation of BPD. Our results indicate a beneficial effect of a single dose of oxytocin on affective empathy and approach motivation in women with BPD adapting their level of social functioning to healthy controls. Future clinical trials will need to investigate the long-term effects and effectiveness of oxytocin as an add-on treatment for social impairments in BPD.

中文翻译：

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鼻内催产素对边缘性人格障碍女性的移情和进场动机的影响：一项随机对照试验。

交际型人格障碍（BPD）的特征是严重的人际功能障碍，存在社会认知，同理心和社会态度方面的问题。尽管已知神经肽催产素在健康的个体和临床人群中调节复杂的社会认知和行为，但仍缺乏证据证明催产素管理对BPD的社会认知和社会态度有潜在的有益作用。51名BPD妇女和51名匹配的健康对照者被随机分为一项双盲，安慰剂对照，受试者间实验。我们在测量情感和认知移情和方法动机的标准化任务之前，鼻内给予单剂量的24 IU催产素或安慰剂。所有参与者均未接受激素避孕，并在月经周期的黄体中期进行了测试。在安慰剂条件下，与健康对照组相比，BPD患者表现出降低的认知和情感同理心，并且接近行为动机更少。与安慰剂相比，鼻内催产素显着增加了BPD患者和健康对照组的情感移情和接近动机。更重要的是，催产素的使用导致BPD与健康对照组之间的得分相似。这些发现为催产素对BPD的情感移情和进阶动机不足的有益作用提供了第一个证据。我们的结果表明，单剂量催产素对BPD妇女的情感移情和进场动机产生有益影响，使他们的社会功能水平适应健康对照。