Can magnetic pulses to the brain ease borderline personality disorder?
NCT ID NCT07197502
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Aug 11, 2026 · Updated 3 times
Summary
This study tests whether a non-invasive brain stimulation technique called transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) can reduce symptoms of borderline personality disorder (BPD). Up to 30 adults with BPD will receive either real or sham TMS over several weeks. Researchers will track changes in symptoms, emotion regulation, and brain activity.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a non-invasive brain stimulation treatment for borderline personality disorder symptoms.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small early-stage trial with only 30 people. It is testing a new targeting method, so results may not apply broadly, and the sham group can later receive active treatment, which may bias outcomes.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 30 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Mar 2025
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 65 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
* Age of 18-65 * DSM-5 Diagnosis of BPD based upon a psychiatric evaluation and ZAN-BPD * Fluent English speaker * Signed informed consent
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
2 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA
RECRUITINGLos Angeles, California, 90024, United States
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Semel Institute/ UCLA TMS
RECRUITINGLos Angeles, California, 90024, United States
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