Amygdala neurofeedback as an adjunct to residential dialectical behavior therapy for borderline personality disorder: a pilot randomized controlled trial - Summary - MDSpire
To examine whether adding real-time fMRI amygdala neurofeedback (amy-NF) to residential dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) reduces daily-life affective instability more than DBT alone in people with borderline personality disorder (BPD).
Approach:
Design and participants: Pilot randomized study of adults aged 18–50 receiving a 12-week residential DBT program. Eligibility required at least five BPD diagnostic criteria and a BSL-23 score of at least 1.5 after six weeks of treatment.
Intervention and comparison: Participants assigned to the neurofeedback group completed three amy-NF sessions, each comprising two training runs; the comparison group received treatment as usual.
Assessments: The primary endpoint was daily-life negative-affect instability measured by ecological momentary assessment. Self-report and neural outcomes were secondary endpoints. EMA periods were planned before treatment, after treatment, and at 3-month follow-up.
Key Findings:
The supplied context describes the study rationale, design, and assessment methods but does not report trial results.
Interpretation:
Given the resulting sample size, the study was intended to provide preliminary evidence about the added value of amy-NF with DBT rather than definitively evaluate efficacy.
Limitations:
The authors state that the sample size is more appropriate for generating preliminary evidence than for definitively evaluating efficacy.
Conclusion:
The trial tested whether amy-NF could augment residential DBT for BPD, using a treatment-as-usual control and repeated clinical and neural assessments.
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