NCT07428200

Characterization of the Neural Bases of Mental Imagery in Individuals With Borderline Personality Disorder: An EEG Study

• Status: Not Yet Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 62 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Hôpital le Vinatier · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 40 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) involves altered social cognition, notably dysfunctional processing of cues signaling potential social exclusion and heightened social pain. This study uses EEG during a controlled Cyberball task to test whether BPD patients show a functionally altered social-pain network, particularly increased theta activity, when experiencing induced social exclusion.

Detailed description

A central feature of borderline personality disorder (BPD) is an alteration of social cognition processes. Among the impairments described in the literature, the processing of signals evoking potential social exclusion appears to be particularly dysfunctional in patients with BPD. This deficient processing may underlie the experiences of "social pain" frequently reported in this population. Social pain refers to the negative experience felt when an individual perceives themselves as being excluded from a social context. Over the past several years, the development of experimental paradigms aimed at exploring social cognition has shown that it is possible to induce feelings of social pain in controlled settings. These studies have also revealed that neural substrates such as the anterior insula, the anterior cingulate cortex, and the prefrontal cortex are involved not only in the processing of physical pain signals but also in the processing of social pain. Although the neural networks associated with social pain are now well identified, the underlying neural and cognitive mechanisms remain poorly understood. One possible avenue for understanding the neural and cognitive mechanisms of social pain in patients with BPD lies in examining electroencephalographic activity originating from these regions during the processing of social exclusion signals. Indeed, previous studies have highlighted the involvement of theta rhythms in the processing of social exclusion signals in healthy individuals.

Conditions

• Borderline Personality Disorder BPD

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	2 Tasks : - stop signal reaction time and Cyberball then ill out an evaluation form	Upon arrival, during electrode placement, participants will complete a stop-signal reaction time (SSRT) task measuring cognitive control for approximately ten minutes. Following this, they will participate in an online ball game, Cyberball, a controlled laboratory task simulating social inclusion or exclusion. The Cyberball task will last approximately 20 minutes and will consist of three experimental conditions presented in a fixed order: passive viewing, inclusion, and then exclusion. During this time, participants' visual activity will be measured using eye tracking. At the end of the Cyberball game, participants will complete: * Social Ostracism and Cohesion Rating Scales * Need Threat Scale

Timeline

• Start date: 2026-03-01
• Primary completion: 2026-03-01
• Completion: 2029-03-01
• First posted: 2026-02-23
• Last updated: 2026-02-23

Locations

1 site across 1 country: France