Understanding how early life patterns lead to Borderline Personality Disorder later on
Official title: Developmental Pathways to Borderline Personality Disorder: Longitudinal Observational, Clinical, and Neural Predictors From Early Childhood to Young Adulthood
Funded at Washington University · NIH-11321100 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This research looks at how children with emotional and social difficulties may develop Borderline Personality Disorder as they grow into young adults.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Washington University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Saint Louis, United States) |
| Project start | May 1, 2010 |
| Project end | April 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $1,405,361 |
| NIH project number | 4RF1MH090786-14 |
| Project ID | NIH-11321100 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are individuals with a history of emotional dysregulation tracked since childhood who are now transitioning into young adulthood.
✕Less likely to help
Individuals without a history of emotional dysregulation or BPD risk factors may see limited direct benefit.
What this research studies
Researchers will follow a group of people who were already part of a long-term study, tracking their emotions, relationships, and brain activity from early childhood into young adulthood. By combining clinical interviews, observations, questionnaires, and repeated brain scans, the study aims to map how self-awareness and social functioning change over time and relate to BPD onset. The goal is to identify early signs and neural patterns that predict who might develop BPD, with attention to environmental influences. The project builds on nearly two decades of data from hundreds of participants to understand why BPD emerges and how it might be prevented.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Better understanding of when and how BPD starts could lead to earlier detection and prevention strategies for at-risk youth and young adults.
How similar studies have gone: Longitudinal studies with similar designs have provided important insights into developmental pathways to psychiatric conditions, though this exact trajectory to BPD with neural data is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
-
Washington University
Saint Louis, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Whalen, Diana J — Washington University
- Study coordinator: Whalen, Diana J
Related research
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This project explores if a special brain training called mindfulness neurofeedback can make Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) even more helpful for adults with Borderline Personality Disorder.
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This long-term follow-up checks how people with borderline personality disorder who received MBT in the past are doing more than 10 years later and whether the two MBT formats differ in long-term outcomes.
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Researchers are testing whether BPD symptoms reflect an addiction-like reliance on interpersonal relationships, compared with bipolar disorder and healthy controls.
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.