rTMS (noninvasive brain stimulation) for borderline personality disorder
Official title: CLINICAL TRIAL: Treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder by Targeting Ventrolateral Prefrontal-amygdala Circuit With Network-based Neuronavigated Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
Run by University of California, Los Angeles · NCT07197502 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project will try rTMS brain stimulation to see if it reduces symptoms in adults with borderline personality disorder.
Quick facts
| Study type | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Ages | 18 Years to 65 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 30 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | University of California, Los Angeles Academic / other |
| Locations | 2 sites (Los Angeles, California and 1 other locations) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | March 1, 2025 |
| Main results expected | December 31, 2027 |
| Study ends | December 31, 2027 |
| Registry record updated | August 10, 2026 |
| Trial ID | NCT07197502 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Adults aged 18–65 with a DSM-5 diagnosis of borderline personality disorder, fluent in English, able to give informed consent, and able to attend frequent in-person visits are ideal candidates.
✕Probably not a fit
Patients who cannot commit to the required in-person visit schedule, who have contraindications to MRI/EEG, or who do not meet the diagnostic criteria are unlikely to benefit from this protocol.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
This randomized, double-blind study will enroll up to 30 adults diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. Participants are assigned to active or sham rTMS and may receive up to 30 stimulation sessions over about 2.5 months, with sham participants offered an additional 15 active sessions. Study procedures include up to two MRI scans, two EEG recordings, computerized symptom assessments and cognitive tasks targeting impulsivity and emotion regulation, and require a minimum of 17 in-person visits; consent is completed remotely via Zoom. Outcomes will compare changes in BPD, depression, and anxiety symptom scales as well as neurobehavioral measures between groups.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, rTMS could reduce emotional dysregulation and impulsivity in BPD patients without surgery and with minimal medication changes.
How similar studies have gone: TMS is well established for depression and has shown preliminary, mixed promise in small BPD pilot studies, so this approach is promising but not yet proven for BPD.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
* Age of 18-65 * DSM-5 Diagnosis of BPD based upon a psychiatric evaluation and ZAN-BPD * Fluent English speaker * Signed informed consent
Where it's running
-
Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA
Los Angeles, California, United States Recruiting -
Semel Institute/ UCLA TMS
Los Angeles, California, United States Recruiting
Study contacts
- Study coordinator: Elizabeth Pinkerton
- Email: EPinkerton@mednet.ucla.edu
- Phone: 310-794-0331
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How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.