Methadone-mediated Autonomic Functioning of Male Patients with Heroin Dependence: the Influence of Borderline Personality Pattern

• Main Authors: Wei-Lieh Huang, 黃偉烈
• Other Authors: Terry B. J. Kuo
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2013
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/00553897074512807647

碩士 === 國立陽明大學 === 腦科學研究所 === 101 === Background: Among subjects with heroin dependence, ones with borderline personality trait show poor response to methadone maintenance treatment. They also reveal high sympathetic and low parasympathetic modulation when facing psychological stimuli. Hypothesis: We hypothesize that the population with borderline personality shows different autonomic response to methadone compared to individuals with other personalities. Methods: Forty-four male patients with heroin dependence were recruited from a methadone maintenance treatment program. Eight personality patterns were classified according to the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ) norm used in Taiwan. The borderline pattern (BP, composed of high novelty seeking, high harm avoidance and low reward dependence) and the other personality patterns (OP) were separated into two groups. We compared the heart rate variability (HRV) profiles between the BP and OP groups. Correlation and regression analysis were performed to clarify relationship between HRV differences and the borderline index (BI, a new concept defined by us, which is calculated as novelty seeking + harm avoidance – reward dependence). The HRV targets investigated included low frequency (LF) power, high frequency (HF) power, total power (TP), normalized LF (LF%), and LF/HF. Results: No baseline HRV parameters showed any inter-group difference. The BP group had a significantly lower ΔHF and a higher ΔLF/HF than the OP group. BI was negatively correlated with ΔHF and positively correlated with ΔLF/HF and ΔLF%. Conclusion: Borderline personality individuals show increased sympathetic activity and decreased parasympathetic activity compared to other personalities after taking methadone. The results support the hypothesis that there is a meaningful relationship between borderline personality and autonomic modulation.