NCT03498937

Effects of tDCS on Impulsiveness Among People Suffering From Borderline Personality Disorder

Effet de la tDCS Sur l'impulsivité Chez Les Personnes Souffrant d'un Trouble Borderline : TIMBER

• Status: Unknown
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 50 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Besancon · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 100 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The study aims to evaluate the impact of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on impulsiveness of adults suffering from Borderline Personality Disorder. Short- and long-term effects are assessed by electroencephalography (EEG) records, experimental tasks and self-rated scales.

Detailed description

Impulsivity, considered as the tendency to express spontaneous, excessive and/or unplanned behavior, is recognized as a major factor involved in suicidal behavior and self-harm behaviors. It consists in one of the diagnostic criteria of Borderline Personality Disorder, allowing as well assessment of its clinical severity. There is so far no specific treatment concerning impulsivity. From a neurobiological perspective, the prefrontal cortex is considered as a critical region in the cognitive control of behaviors. Previous studies have associated an hypoactivation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) and the dorsal part of the anterior cingulate cortex to Borderline Personality Disorder. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a technique of noninvasive brain stimulation which delivers a subthreshold electrical current to the scalp, manipulating the resting membrane potential. It has shown cognitive function improvement, both in healthy individuals and psychiatric populations. Modulation of the dlPFC could therefore represent a mean of reducing impulsivity in those patients. With a prospective, sham-controlled, crossover, double-blind design, this study aims to evaluate the impact of bilateral tDCS over the dlPFC on the impulsive dimension of adults suffering from Borderline Personality Disorder. Subjects will be submitted to 10 tDCS stimulation sessions (active or sham) for five consecutive days (2 sessions of 30 minutes/day). Current intensity will be of 2 mA, through 25 cm² surface electrodes, placed over the dlPFC (anode position over F4 and cathode over F3, according to the EEG 10-20 international system). Subjects who undergo active stimulation sessions will be then submitted to sham sessions and vice-versa. Baseline measures will be compared to those obtained immediately after the end of sessions (5 days: short-term effects), and to 12 and 30 days later (long-term effects). Active and sham stimulation sessions outcomes will as well be compared.

Conditions

• Borderline Personality Disorder
• Impulsive Behavior

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DEVICE	Active tDCS	10 active tDCS sessions (2 sessions/day for 5 days, 30 min each, 2 mA) applied to the dlPFC
DEVICE	Sham tDCS	10 sham tDCS sessions (2 sessions/day for 5 days, 30 min each, 0 mA) applied to the dlPFC

Timeline

• Start date: 2019-05-01
• Primary completion: 2020-06-01
• Completion: 2020-12-01
• First posted: 2018-04-17
• Last updated: 2019-03-07

Locations

3 sites across 1 country: France