https://doi.org/10.1140/epjs/s11734-024-01424-8
Regular Article
Longitudinal right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex low-frequency rTMS improves borderline personality disorder symptomatology despite social exclusion: a pilot study
1
Clínica de Trastorno Límite de la Personalidad, Dirección de Servicios Clínicos, Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz, 14370, Mexico City, Mexico
2
Consejo Nacional para la Salud Mental y Adicciones, 11410, Mexico City, Mexico
3
Laboratorio de Cronobiología y Sueño, Dirección de Investigaciones en Neurociencias, Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz, 14370, Mexico City, Mexico
4
Clínica de especialidades de Neuropsiquiatría, Instituto de Seguridad y Servicios Sociales de los Trabajadores del Estado, 06900, Mexico City, Mexico
5
SECIHTI, Secretaría de Ciencia, Humanidades, Tecnología e Innovación, 03940, Mexico City, Mexico
Received:
30
June
2024
Accepted:
22
November
2024
Published online:
15
January
2025
In a previous clinical trial, after low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) at the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (rDLPFC), borderline personality disorder (BPD) symptomatology showed significant reductions. However, as social rejection may lead to emotional dysregulation, the main objective of the present study was focused on whether rTMS beneficial effects in improving BPD symptomatology may persist despite social rejection. Cyberball sessions were performed under inclusion and exclusion conditions. The administration of 1,800 1-Hz rTMS pulses to the rDLPFC over a 3-week period to patients diagnosed with BPD (n = 6) was compared to the administration of a sham group (n = 4). Symptomatology was evaluated with the Nead Threat Scale (NTS), the Impulsive/Premeditated Aggression Scale (IPAS) and the Borderline Evaluation Scale over Time (BEST) at baseline (BL), and after the 8th and 15th sessions. Compared with BL results, in the active group, ameliorated IPAS and BEST clinical profiles were significant on the 8th session. Therefore, BPD symptomatology with the use of low-frequency rTMS at the rDLPFC after social exclusion was successfully reduced, indicating the potential benefits even after adverse social circumstances of the continuous administration of this treatment at least from eight to fifteen sessions.
Copyright comment Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to EDP Sciences, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2025
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.