A randomised controlled trial of amygdala fMRI-neurofeedback versus sham-feedback in borderline-personality disorder - systematic literature review and introduction to the BrainSTEADy trial.

Abstract

Background: Individuals with Borderline-Personality Disorder (BPD) experience intensive, unstable negative emotions. Hyperactivity of the amygdala is assumed to drive exaggerated emotional responses in BPD. Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)-based neurofeedback is an endogenous neuromodulation method intended to address the imbalance of neural circuits and thus holds the potential as a treatment for BPD. Many original articles and meta-analyses show that fMRI-neurofeedback can improve psychiatric symptoms. In contrast, there is a lack of publications that aggregate and evaluate data of the safety of the treatment. Furthermore, evidence on the efficacy of fMRI-neurofeedback for the treatment of BPD is limited. Preliminary evidence suggests that downregulation of amygdala hyperactivation through fMRI-neurofeedback can ameliorate emotion dysregulation. To test this assumption, BrainSTEADy (Brain Signal Training to Enhance Affect Down-regulation), a multi-center clinical trial, is conducted. First, we present a systematic literature review evaluating the safety of fMRI-neurofeedback and assessing clinical performance in BPD. Second, we describe the study protocol of BrainSTEADy.

Methods: Literature research: From 2,609 screened paper abstracts, 758 were identified as potentially relevant. Twenty studies reported adverse events or undesirable side effects. Two papers provided relevant data for the assessment of clinical performance in BPD. BrainSTEADy study protocol: During four sessions, patients will receive graphical fMRI-neurofeedback from their right amygdala or sham-feedback while viewing images with aversive content. The primary endpoint, 'negative affect intensity', will be assessed after the last neurofeedback session using Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA). Secondary endpoints will be assessed after the last neurofeedback session, at 3-month and at 6-month follow-up. This trial is a multi-center, patient- and investigator-blind, randomized, parallel-group superiority study with a planned interim-analysis once half of the recruitment target is met (N = 82).

Discussion: As suggested by literature review, fMRI-neurofeedback is a safe treatment for patients, although future studies should systematically assess and report adverse events. Although fMRI-neurofeedback showed promising effects in BPD, current evidence is limited and calls for a randomized controlled trial such as BrainSTEADy, which aims to test whether amygdala-fMRI-neurofeedback specifically reduces emotion instability in BPD beyond nonspecific benefit. Endpoint measures encompassing EMA, clinical interviews, psychological questionnaires, quality of life, and neuroimaging will enable a comprehensive analysis of effects and mechanisms of neurofeedback treatment.

Trial registration: The study protocol was first posted 2024/10/04 on ClinicalTrials.gov and received the ID NCT06626789.