will take place on Tuesday, May 5th, 2026 from 16:00 to 17:00 hours in
Seminarraum Audimax AM S 2 (Please note: This is a different room than usual!)
Host: Prof. Ulrike Krämer
Institute of Medical Psychology, University of Lübeck
Abstract: Estosterone is an important sex hormone present in both sexes. Like other neurosteroids, testosterone can be synthesized within the nervous system and affects emotion and behavior. In contrast to stress hormones, the interplay of gonadal hormones and BPD symptomatology has only recently started to gain attention. The initial idea to investigate testosterone in borderline personality disorder (BPD) stemmed from three lines of observation. First, neuroendocrinology different hormone systems are closely associated and interconnected. While the hypothalamus pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis has received a lot of attention, the hypothalamic pituitary gonadal (HPG) axis has been largely neglected, especially in BPD. Second, in clinical psychiatric research testosterone has been repeatedly linked to affective symptoms, like depressive mood and anxiety, and showed effects on cognition and social behavior. Thirdly, on the level of reproductive endocrinology, women with BPD are frequently observed to suffer from polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a hormonal disorder associated with elevated androgen levels. This overlap suggests that hormonal imbalances linked to testosterone, particularly those influencing mood and reproductive function, may contribute to the symptomatology of BPD. Findings on endocrine changes, particularly in testosterone, in BDP will be presented and discussed.
