Negative reward expectations in Borderline Personality Disorder patients: Neurophysiological evidence

• Neuropsysiological signatures of reward processing were assessed in Borderline Personality Disorder patients (BPD).
• Impaired negative feedback processing in the BPD patients was evidenced.
• The BPD participants showed a lack of behavioral adjustments after feedback.
• A negative bias at cognitive level in the BPD patients is proposed.

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) patients present profound disturbances in affect regulation and impulse control which could reflect a dysfunction in reward-related processes. The current study investigated these processes in a sample of 18 BPD patients and 18 matched healthy controls, using an event-related brain potentials methodology. Results revealed a reduction in the amplitude of the Feedback-Related Negativity of BPD patients, which is a neurophysiological index of the impact of negative feedback in reward-related tasks. This reduction, in the effect of negative feedback in BPD patients, was accompanied by a different behavioral pattern of risk choice compared to healthy participants. These findings confirm a dysfunctional reward system in BDP patients, which might compromise their capacity to build positive expectations of future rewards and decision making.