Denne siden ble automatisk oversatt og nøyaktigheten av oversettelsen er ikke garantert. Vennligst referer til engelsk versjon for en kildetekst.

Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Versus Theta Burst Stimulation on Impulsivity, Emotional Dysregulation, and Non-Suicidal Self-Injury in Borderline Personality Disorder Patients (TMS and TBS)

1. november 2026 oppdatert av: Dina ussein, Ain Shams University

Effect of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Versus Theta Burst Stimulation on Impulsivity, Emotional Dysregulation, and Non-Suicidal Self-Injury in a Sample of Patients With Borderline Personality Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial

the goal of this randomized clinical trial is to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) in patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD). The study aims to assess whether these brain stimulation techniques can reduce symptoms of emotional dysregulation, impulsivity, and non-suicidal self-injury.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

Does high-frequency rTMS over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) improve emotional dysregulation, impulsivity, and non-suicidal self-injury in patients with BPD? Does intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) over the left DLPFC produce similar therapeutic effects? How does the efficacy of rTMS and iTBS compare to sham stimulation after completing the treatment course?

Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups:

  1. High-frequency rTMS group
  2. Intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) group
  3. Sham stimulation group Each participant will receive 15-20 stimulation sessions over the left DLPFC. Changes in emotional dysregulation, impulsivity, and non-suicidal self-injury symptoms will be evaluated before and after treatment.

Studieoversikt

Status

Rekruttering

Forhold

Intervensjon / Behandling

Detaljert beskrivelse

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a complex psychiatric condition characterized by emotional dysregulation, impulsivity, and recurrent non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI).

Although psychotherapy and pharmacological interventions remain the mainstay of treatment, many patients continue to experience severe emotional instability and impulsivity. Neuromodulation techniques such as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and theta burst stimulation (TBS) have recently shown promise in modulating fronto-limbic circuits involved in emotion regulation.

This prospective, randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trial aims to evaluate and compare the therapeutic efficacy of high-frequency rTMS and intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) applied over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in patients diagnosed with BPD. The interventions are expected to enhance prefrontal modulation of limbic activity, thereby improving emotional regulation, reducing impulsivity, and decreasing non-suicidal self-injury behaviors.

Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups:

Group 1: High-frequency rTMS (5 Hz, 1200 pulses/session, 80-110% RMT, 21 min total) Group 2: Intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS, 50 Hz bursts, 600 pulses/session, 80-120% RMT, 21 min total) Group 3: Sham stimulation (matched duration and sound without magnetic output) All participants will continue their standard therapy for BPD, including weekly Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) sessions during the study. Each participant will receive 20 sessions over 4 weeks (5 sessions per week). Allocation concealment will be ensured using sealed, numbered envelopes prepared by an independent administrator, and both participants and assessors will be blinded to group assignment.

Clinical assessments will include:

Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis II Disorders (SCID-II) for BPD diagnosis General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) to screen for psychiatric comorbidities Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale - Short Form (DERS-16) Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS) Deliberate Self-Harm Inventory (DSHI) Measurements will be taken at baseline (pre-intervention) and after completion of the stimulation sessions (post-intervention).

Safety procedures will follow international TMS safety guidelines (Rossi et al., 2009; Lefaucheur et al., 2020). Adverse effects such as transient headache or scalp discomfort will be monitored, and any serious adverse events (e.g., seizures) will be immediately reported to the Research Ethics Committee.

This study seeks to determine whether rTMS or iTBS is more effective than sham stimulation in improving emotion regulation, reducing impulsivity, and decreasing self-harm behaviors. It will also explore whether iTBS, with its shorter session duration, provides a comparable or superior therapeutic benefit to conventional rTMS.

Studietype

Intervensjonell

Registrering (Antatt)

45

Fase

  • Ikke aktuelt

Kontakter og plasseringer

Denne delen inneholder kontaktinformasjon for de som utfører studien, og informasjon om hvor denne studien blir utført.

Studiekontakt

Studiesteder

    • Cairo Governorate
      • Cairo, Cairo Governorate, Egypt, 11252
        • Rekruttering
        • Ainshams University Hospitals
        • Ta kontakt med:

Deltakelseskriterier

Forskere ser etter personer som passer til en bestemt beskrivelse, kalt kvalifikasjonskriterier. Noen eksempler på disse kriteriene er en persons generelle helsetilstand eller tidligere behandlinger.

Kvalifikasjonskriterier

Alder som er kvalifisert for studier

21 år til 50 år (Voksen)

Tar imot friske frivillige

Nei

Kjønn som er kvalifisert for studier

Alle

Beskrivelse

Inclusion Criteria:

  • 1. Age range: 21-50 years old. 2. Gender: males and females 3. Borderline personality disorder diagnosis

Exclusion Criteria:

- 1. Presence of other uncontrolled mental illness that precludes the ability to provide informed consent (e.g.; acute psychosis, bipolar disorder currently in manic episode, major depressive disorder with recent suicidal attempt).

2. Patients with contraindications to TMS as cardiac patients with pacemakers, metallic implants as cochlear implants, aneurysm clips, stents, and deep brain stimulation electrodes.

Studieplan

Denne delen gir detaljer om studieplanen, inkludert hvordan studien er utformet og hva studien måler.

Hvordan er studiet utformet?

Designdetaljer

  • Primært formål: Behandling
  • Tildeling: Randomisert
  • Intervensjonsmodell: Parallell tildeling
  • Masking: Dobbelt

Våpen og intervensjoner

Deltakergruppe / Arm
Intervensjon / Behandling
Aktiv komparator: Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Participants receive 15-20 sessions of high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Each session lasts approximately 21 minutes.

rTMS will be delivered at 5 Hz frequency, 1200 pulses per session, at 80-110% of the individual's resting motor threshold (RMT). Stimulation will be applied to the left DLPFC (F3 according to the 10-20 EEG system) using a figure-of-eight coil. Each session includes 18 minutes of active stimulation followed by 3 minutes of sham stimulation on the target site. Sessions are administered 5 days per week for 4 weeks (total 20 sessions).

Andre navn:
  • rTMS
Aktiv komparator: Intermittent Theta-Burst Stimulation Group

Participants receive 15-20 sessions of intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Each session lasts approximately 21 minutes.

iTBS will be delivered as 50 Hz bursts (three pulses per burst, 5 Hz bursts) at 80-120% of resting motor threshold, totaling 600 pulses per session. Stimulation will be applied over the left DLPFC (F3 site, 10-20 EEG system). Each session includes 3 minutes of active iTBS and 18 minutes of sham stimulation. Sessions are administered 5 days per week for 4 weeks (total 20 sessions).

Andre navn:
  • iTBS
Sham-komparator: Sham Stimulation Group

Participants receive sham stimulation sessions identical in duration and sound to the active conditions but without active magnetic output.

Sham stimulation will be delivered using the same coil orientation and acoustic cues as the active conditions, but with the magnetic field output disabled. Each session includes 18 minutes of sham rTMS and 3 minutes of sham TBS over the left DLPFC (F3 site). Sessions are administered 5 days per week for 4 weeks (total 20 sessions).

Hva måler studien?

Primære resultatmål

Resultatmål
Tiltaksbeskrivelse
Tidsramme
improvement of impulsivity in BPD as assessed by barratt impulsivity scale (BIS)
Tidsramme: 20 sessions given over 1 month

Improvement of results of The barratt impulsivity scale (BIS) measured before starting sessions and after finishing 20 sessions

20 sessions given over 1 month

Sekundære resultatmål

Resultatmål
Tiltaksbeskrivelse
Tidsramme
improvement of emotional dysregulation as per Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale(DERS)
Tidsramme: 20 sessions1 month

Improvement of results of DERS measured before starting sessions and after finishing 20 sessions

20 sessions1 month
improvement of non-suicidal self injury
Tidsramme: 20 sessions given in 1 month

Improvement of results of The Deliberate Self-Harm Inventory (DSHI) measured before starting sessions and after finishing 20 sessions

20 sessions given in 1 month

Samarbeidspartnere og etterforskere

Det er her du vil finne personer og organisasjoner som er involvert i denne studien.

Sponsor

Etterforskere

  • Studieleder: mohamed F professor Dr, MD of psychiatry, ainshams university

Publikasjoner og nyttige lenker

Den som er ansvarlig for å legge inn informasjon om studien leverer frivillig disse publikasjonene. Disse kan handle om alt relatert til studiet.

Studierekorddatoer

Disse datoene sporer fremdriften for innsending av studieposter og sammendragsresultater til ClinicalTrials.gov. Studieposter og rapporterte resultater gjennomgås av National Library of Medicine (NLM) for å sikre at de oppfyller spesifikke kvalitetskontrollstandarder før de legges ut på det offentlige nettstedet.

Studer hoveddatoer

Studiestart (Faktiske)

1. desember 2025

Primær fullføring (Antatt)

1. juni 2027

Studiet fullført (Antatt)

1. august 2027

Datoer for studieregistrering

Først innsendt

1. november 2026

Først innsendt som oppfylte QC-kriteriene

1. november 2026

Først lagt ut (Faktiske)

5. november 2026

Oppdateringer av studieposter

Sist oppdatering lagt ut (Faktiske)

5. november 2026

Siste oppdatering sendt inn som oppfylte QC-kriteriene

1. november 2026

Sist bekreftet

1. november 2026

Mer informasjon

Begreper knyttet til denne studien

Andre studie-ID-numre

  • FMASU MD169/2025

Plan for individuelle deltakerdata (IPD)

Planlegger du å dele individuelle deltakerdata (IPD)?

JA

IPD-planbeskrivelse

de-identified individual participant data will be available upon reasonable request after publication of the primary results

IPD-delingstidsramme

5 years after publication

IPD-deling Støtteinformasjonstype

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • ICF
  • CSR

Legemiddel- og utstyrsinformasjon, studiedokumenter

Studerer et amerikansk FDA-regulert medikamentprodukt

Nei

Studerer et amerikansk FDA-regulert enhetsprodukt

Ja

produkt produsert i og eksportert fra USA

Ja

Denne informasjonen ble hentet direkte fra nettstedet clinicaltrials.gov uten noen endringer. Hvis du har noen forespørsler om å endre, fjerne eller oppdatere studiedetaljene dine, vennligst kontakt register@clinicaltrials.gov. Så snart en endring er implementert på clinicaltrials.gov, vil denne også bli oppdatert automatisk på nettstedet vårt. .