Heart Rate Variability and Level of Personality Functioning - A Pilot Study

Abstract

In the DSM-5 manual a new dimensional system for Personality Disorders was included in section III. We aimed to pave way for a biological validation of this dimensional system by measuring base line heart rate variability (HRV) in a group of patients vs controls already assessed with the Level of Personality Funciotning Scale (LPFS). HRV is a measure of vagal tone linked to emotional regulation and is previously shown to be a good but unspecific marker of psychiatric disease, inversely correlated with the severity of disease. We examined 9 participants of which 5 were patients and 4 controls. We found significantly lower HRV in patients vs. controls and a significant correlation between level of Emotion Regulation, a sub domain of Identity in the LPFS, and HRV, with a P-value of 0,031. That the overall LPFS was not significantly correlated with HRV (P=0,075) must be seen in light of the small amount of participants. Our results indicate a correlation, but a larger and better controlled study has to be conducted to validate the LPFS properly.