Empathy is the ability to recognize and understand the state of mind of another person and can therefore be considered as prerequisite for successful social interactions. Narcissistic personality disorder (NPS) is one of the few psychiatric disorders which is not only characterized by dysfunctional interaction patterns, but also a "lack of empathy". Although the image of the NPS is clinically well described, there are currently very few empirical data on its diagnostic criteria, especially the "lack of empathy" (DSM-IV-TR).

By using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), this project aims at differentiating neurofunctional and neuroanatomical correlates of cognitive and emotional empathy in individuals with NPS in comparison to healthy controls and individuals with autism. A newly developed test for empathy (MET, "Multifaceted Empathy Test", Dziobek et al. 2008) will be implemented. Our study is the first on neuroanatomical and neuro-functional correlates of the NPS and specifically the lack of empathy and therefore aims at contributing to a better understanding of the disorder.

Publications

Renneberg, B., Herm, K., Hahn, A., Staebler, K., Lammers, C., Roepke, S. (2011, Im Druck). Perception of Social Participation in Borderline Personality Disorder. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy.

Montag, C., Neuhaus, K., Lehmann, A., Krüger, K., Dziobek, I., Heekeren, H. R., Heinz, A., Gallinat, J. (2012). Subtle deficits of cognitive theory of mind in unaffected first-degree relatives of schizophrenia patients. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience 262 (3). 217-226.

Dziobek, I., Preissler, S., Grozdanovic, Z., Heuser, I., Heekeren, H. R., Roepke, S. (2011). Neuronal Correlates of Altered Empathy and Social Cognition in Borderline Personality Disorder. NeuroImage 57 (2). 539-548.

Röpke, S., Luig, U. (2011). Besessenheit. Albers, I., Dziobek, I., Hurtzig, H. (Eds.). Fühlt weniger! Dialoge über Emotionen. 69-78. Berlin: Theater der Zeit.

Schulze, L., Lischke, A., Greif, J., Herpertz, S. C., Heinrichs, M., Domes, G. (2011). Oxytocin increases recognition of masked emotional faces. Psychoneuroendocrinology 36 (9). 1378-1382.

Staebler, K., Renneberg, B., Stopsack, M., Fiedler, P., Weiler, M., Roepke, S. (2011). Facial emotional expression in reaction to social exclusion in borderline personality disorder. Psychological Medicine. 1-10.

Vater, A., Röpke, S., Renneberg, B. (2011). Kognition und soziale Wahrnehmung. Dulz, B., Herpertz, S. C., Kernberg, O. F., Sachsse, U. (Eds.). Handbuch der Borderline Störungen. Stuttgart: Schattauer Verlag.

Preissler, S., Dziobek, I., Ritter, K., Heekeren, H., Roepke, S. (2010). Social cognition in borderline personality disorder: evidence for disturbed recognition of the emotions, thoughts, and intentions of others. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience 4. 1-8.

Ritter, K., Dziobek, I., Preissler, S., Vater, A., Rüter, A., Lammers, C. H., Heekeren, H. R., Roepke, S. (2010). Lack of empathy in patients with narcissistic personality disorder. Psychiatry Research 187 (1-2). 241-247.

Ritter, K., Roepke, S., Merkl, A., Heuser, I., Fydrich, T., Lammers, C. H. (2010). Comorbidity in patients with narcissistic personality disorder in comparison to patients with borderline personality disorder. Psychotherapie, Psychosomatik, medizinische Psychologie 60 (1). 14-24.

Roepke, S., Schroeder-Abé, M., Schuetz, A., Jacob, G., Dams, A., Vater, A., Rueter, A., Merkl, A., Heuser, I., Lammers, C.-H. (2010). Dialectic Behavioral Therapy Improves Self-Concept Clarity and Facets of Self-Esteem in Women with Borderline Personality Disorder. Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy.

Vater, A., Schroeder-Abé, M., Schuetz, A., Lammers, C.-H., Röpke, S. (2010). Discrepancies between explicit and implicit self-esteem are linked to symptom severity in borderline personality disorder. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry 41 (4). 357-364. doi:10.1016/j.jbtep.2010.03.007

Schute-Herbrüggen, O., Ahlers, C. J., Kronsbein, J. M., Rüter, A., Bahri, S., Vater, A., Roepke, S. (2009). Impaired sexual function in patients with borderline personality disorder is determined by history of sexual abuse. Journal of Sexual Medicine 12. 3356-3363.