Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40426700›Full record

ArticleBrain sciences2025

Longitudinal Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Daily Rejection-Related Emotions in Borderline Personality Disorder: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study Protocol.

Chiara De Panfilis, Alessandro Lisco, Kevin B Meehan, Maria Lidia Gerra, Emanuele Preti, Paolo Riva, Leonor Josefina Romero Lauro

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Brain sciences, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Chiara De PanfilisUnit of Neuroscience, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy.
Alessandro LiscoOspedale Maria Luigia, 43126 Monticelli Terme, Italy.
Kevin B MeehanDepartment of Psychology, Long Island University, Brooklyn, NY 11201, USA.
Maria Lidia GerraDepartment of Mental Health, Parma Local Health Agency, 43126 Parma, Italy.
Emanuele PretiDepartment of Psychology, University of Milan-Bicocca, 20126 Milan, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-5207-4579
Paolo RivaDepartment of Psychology, University of Milan-Bicocca, 20126 Milan, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-9855-994X
Leonor Josefina Romero LauroDepartment of Psychology, University of Milan-Bicocca, 20126 Milan, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-6478-2502

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundBorderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a debilitating mental health condition characterized by emotional dysregulation and interpersonal dysfunction, with perceived social rejection exacerbating these issues. Emerging evidence suggests that a single session of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (rVLPFC) may decrease the unique tendency of BPD patients to feel rejected even when socially included during a laboratory task.

objectivesThis protocol outlines a double-blind, sham-controlled study evaluating the longitudinal effects of repeated anodal tDCS over the right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (rVLPFC) on rejection-related emotions (RRE) during real-life social interactions in individuals with BPD.

methodsSixty BPD patients will be randomized to receive real or sham tDCS across 10 daily sessions, coupled with an ecological momentary assessment (EMA) protocol capturing emotional and behavioral responses to real-life social interactions over four timepoints: baseline, during treatment, ten days post-treatment, and three months post-treatment. Primary outcomes include changes in RRE, with exploratory analyses examining feelings of social connection, aggressive tendencies, trust toward others, and interpersonal and affective dynamics. Multilevel modeling will assess temporal and group-level effects. Expected Results and Impact: This study aims to establish the efficacy of tDCS in reducing BPD patients' negative emotional response in real-life social situations and to determine whether such effects are maintained in time. The findings could advance the clinical application of tDCS as an adjunctive intervention to alleviate social-emotional impairments in BPD, addressing gaps in current treatment approaches and guiding future research into the neural mechanisms of social emotion regulation.

Indexed as

borderline personality disorderecological momentary assessmentrejection-related emotionsright ventrolateral prefrontal cortextranscranial direct current stimulation

Identifiers

PMID40426700
PMCPMC12110130

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.