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Neurocognitive Characterization of Interpersonal Dysfunction in Borderline Personality Disorder

Award Number: F31MH143291
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/28/2026
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 09/27/2029

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Neurocognitive Characterization of Interpersonal Dysfunction in Borderline Personality Disorder - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a serious and debilitating mental illness associated with disproportionately high rates of psychiatric service usage. Unstable relationships are a hallmark feature of BPD and a catalyst for significant psychological distress in these individuals. Still, the specific neural and behavioral mechanisms that drive relationship instability in BPD remain largely unknown. Thorough characterization of relational social interaction and its evolution over time in BPD individuals is needed to better understand this complex interpersonal dynamic. However, the bulk of prior laboratory-based studies have conducted individual assessments of discrete socioemotional dispositions and processes in BPD using tasks that involve unfamiliar social stimuli (e.g., strangers). To address this gap, the current proposal aims to compare the patterns, neural computations, and temporal stability of social interaction behavior within relationships (i.e., relational social interaction behavior) between BPD individuals and healthy controls (HC) to pinpoint differences that may contribute to relationship instability in this population. The long-term goal is to leverage these insights to facilitate the development of novel treatments designed to stabilize affected patients’ relationship dynamics. To achieve these objectives, this proposal will utilize a naturalistic, social role-playing task in which participants shape their relationships with each character across dynamic social interactions. Prior investigations of social cognition in BPD have suggested that these individuals may display overly cautious social behavior. To test this, behavioral and self-report questionnaire data will be analyzed to identify distinct patterns of relational social interaction across groups and determine their relation to core symptom dimensions (Aim 1). Functional magnetic resonance imaging will be used in combination with state-of-the-art computational and statistical modeling approaches to determine whether adaptive relational social neurocognitive processes are impaired or distorted in BPD relative to HC individuals (Aim 2). Finally, as accumulating evidence suggests that social cognition may be more rigid in BPD, this task will be administered twice over the course of one month to a large online sample to assess the relationship between BPD traits and the temporal stability of social interaction behavior (Aim 3). I expect that disturbances to the behavioral, neurocomputational, and temporal components of relational social interaction will be associated with BPD. Overall, this proposal outlines a highly novel and comprehensive neurobehavioral assessment of relational social interaction in BPD. These aims will not only provide foundational insight into the mechanisms underlying relationship dysfunction in BPD, but also ample opportunities for rigorous training in social cognitive modeling, fMRI, statistical analysis, naturalistic evaluations of social dynamics, and BPD at the graduate level.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $49,714 )
2026	2026	ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI	1 GUSTAVE L LEVY PL	NEW YORK	NY	10029	NEW YORK	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	000	1	4/6/2026	NEW	$49,714
														Subtotal = $49,714

Grand Total All Awards = $49,714

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Neurocognitive Characterization of Interpersonal Dysfunction in Borderline Personality Disorder

Award Number: F31MH143291

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/28/2026

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 09/27/2029

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