First-cycle REM density in never-depressed subjects with borderline personality disorder

Background: There is much interest in the identification of polysomnographic markers of liability to the mood disorders that may predate the onset of illness in high-risk subjects, and/or remain altered after remission. One such putative marker is rapid eye movement (REM) density during the first REM period. Methods: Never-depressed subjects with borderline personality disorder (BPD) as a group at high risk for the mood disorders were compared by continuous 48-hour ambulatory electroencephalographic monitoring to age- and gender-matched controls. Results: Subjects with BPD had significantly higher REM density during the first REM period. One man with BPD who later committed suicide had REM density values exceeding the mean value of his group by 2 SD. Conclusions: These data extend the view that REM density in the first REM period can be a marker of liability to the mood disorders, as it is present in a group of young subjects at heightened risk for depression. Biol Psychiatry 1999;45:1056–1058 © 1999 Society of Biological Psychiatry