CompletedNot Applicable

Cortical Plasticity of the Tactile Mirror System in Borderline Personality Disorder

Italy71 participantsStarted 2023-09-04

Plain-language summary

People with borderline personality disorder (BPD) show alterations in the empathic abilities, which may involve the functioning of the mirror neuron system in the somatosensory domain. In the so-called Tactile Mirror System, the observation of a touch on someone else's body activates a cortical network also involved in tactile perception, including the primary somatosensory cortex. While alterations of mirror-like systems have been suggested in BPD, plasticity mechanisms within these systems are underexplored. The present study aims to shed light on the possible neurophysiological alterations within the Tactile Mirror System in people with BPD, employing a non-invasive transcranial magnetic stimulation protocol, called cross-modal paired associative stimulation (cm-PAS), to induce brain plasticity.

Who can participate

Age range

18 Years – 40 Years

Sex

ALL

See this in plain English?

AI-rewrites the medical criteria so a patient or caregiver can understand them. Always confirm with the trial site.

Inclusion Criteria: * All participants: right handedness (Edinburgh Handedness Inventory; Oldfield, 1971) * Patients group: clinical diagnosis of BPD. The severity of the symptoms will be assessed by means of the Zanarini rating scale for BPD (ZAN-BPD, Zanarini, 2003) and the Symptoms Check-list 90 Revised (SCL-90-R, Derogatis, 1994). Depressive symptoms will be evaluated with the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II, Beck, 1988), impulsiveness with the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS, Patton, Stanford, \& Barratt, 1995), and alexithymia with the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20, Bagby, Taylor, \& Parker, 1994). Moreover, interpersonal functioning will be evaluated with the Interpersonal Problems (IIP, Pilkonis, Kim, Proietti, \& Barkham, 1996), and attachment style will be assessed with the Attachment Style Questionnaire (Feeney, Noller, \& Hanrahan, 1994). Finally, the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ; Bernstein \& Fink, 1998) will be administered for the assessment of traumatic experiences, and the Inventory of statements about self-injury (ISAS, Klonsky \& Glenn, 2009) for the evaluation of self-harm. Exclusion Criteria: * All participants: Contraindication to TMS (Rossi et al., 2021) * All participants: Anamnesis or evidence of any central nervous system alteration * Patients group: Comorbidity with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, according to DSM-5, and in case of unstable pharmacological therapy

Questions worth asking your doctor

Bring these to your next appointment. They're a starting point for a shared conversation — not a sign you qualify or a recommendation to enrol.

1Based on my diagnosis and history, is this trial worth exploring for me — or is there a standard treatment we should try first?
2What does this trial's phase tell us about how much is already known about its safety and benefit?
3What would taking part actually involve for me — visits, tests, time, and travel?
4What are the known and possible risks or side effects I should weigh, and how would they be monitored?
5If this trial isn't the right fit, what other options or trials would you suggest I look into?

Generated to help you prepare — always confirm anything about your own eligibility and care with the study team and your doctor.

Questions for the trial coordinator

The trial coordinator is the person who runs the study day to day. These cover the practical side — logistics, costs, and what taking part would actually mean for your life. The study team confirms whether you meet the criteria; these are questions to ask, not a sign you qualify.

1What does taking part actually involve week to week — how many visits, where, and how long does each one take?
2What costs are covered by the study, and what might I have to pay for myself, including travel, parking, or time off work?
3What happens during screening, and what happens if the study team confirms I don't meet the criteria after those tests?
4Who pays for the scans, blood work, and other tests the trial requires — the study, my insurance, or me?
5How will being in the trial affect my regular care, and will my own doctor stay informed and involved?
6Can I leave the trial at any point if I change my mind, and what would happen to my care if I do?

A starting point for the conversation — always confirm anything about your own eligibility, costs, and care with the study team and your doctor.

What they're measuring

Visuo-tactile performance

Timeframe: Within 30 minutes before and after the cm-PAS protocol in each experimental session

Trial details

NCT IDNCT06702215

SponsorIRCCS Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli

Sponsor typeOTHER

Study typeINTERVENTIONAL

Primary completion2025-11-07

View on ClinicalTrials.gov More Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) trials