Objective: Current treatment for borderline personality disorder (BPD) involves psychological and pharmacological interventions. However, neuromodulation techniques such as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) may positively affect BPD symptomatology. The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical and neuropsychological effects of rTMS on the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC) in BPD patients. Methods: Fourteen patients with BPD were randomized into two groups (active vs. sham) for 15 sessions of rTMS on the DMPFC. Clinical effects were measured using the Borderline Symptoms List (BSL), Clinical Global Impression Scale for BPD (CGI-BPD), Borderline Evaluation of Severity over Time (BEST), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS), and Barratt’s Impulsiveness Scale (BIS). Neuropsychological effects were determined by a Stop-Signal Task (SST), the Wisconsin Card-Sorting Test (WCST), and the Iowa Gambling Test (IGT). Results: Within-group comparison showed significant differences (p < 0.05) in CGI-BPD (total score and six of nine psychopathologic domains), BEST, HDRS, HARS, and IGT scores for active modality. Conclusion: The 5 Hz-DMPFC rTMS technique was well tolerated and lessened the severity of BPD symptomatology, especially abandonment, affective issues, interpersonal relationships, suicidal behavior, anger, and paranoid ideation. Cognitive improvement was seen in decision-making. Additional studies are needed to fully evaluate the effects of rTMS on BPD symptomatology. Clinical Trial Registration: NCT03832777.

Abstract Binge eating disorder (BED) is a complex condition in which different clinical aspects and neuropsychological faults have been treated in subjects who have it. In this study, clinical (VC), neuropsychological (VNPS) and psychophysiological (VPFS) variables were compared between healthy participants (n = 15) and with BED (n = 15) evaluated in the medicine school of the Autonomous University of Querétaro. The VC included the evaluation of the food craving scale (FCS), depressive symptomatology (DS), anxiety (AS) and impulsivity. It is used in the Wisconsin Cards Sorting Test for Cognitive Flexibility (CF) and the Stop Signal Task for Inhibitory Control (IC) within the VNPS; In the VPFS, the heart rate variability (HRV) was obtained during an exposure test to food images. The results showed that the participants obtained high scores in the evaluation instruments for FCS (p < .0001), SD (p < .0001) and SA (p < .0001); whereas in the VNPS it failed in the FC with an increase in the percentage of total errors (p = .01), perseverative errors (p = .03) and CI (p = .004). For the VPFS, a reduction in HRV (p < .0001) was found in those participants with AT.

Resumen El trastorno por atracón (TA) es una condición compleja en la que se han descrito diferentes aspectos clínicos y fallas neuropsicológicas en los sujetos que lo padecen. En este estudio se compararon variables clínicas (VC), neuropsicológicas (VNPS) y psicofisiológicas (VPFS) entre participantes sanos (n = 15) y con TA (n = 15) evaluados en la [Omitido por el editor]. Las VC incluyeron el inventario del anhelo por el consumo de alimentos (IACA), sintomatología depresiva (SD), ansiedad (SA) e impulsividad. Se utilizaron la Tarea de Cartas de Wisconsin para evaluar flexibilidad cognitiva (FC) y la Tarea de Señal de Alto para control inhibitorio (CI) dentro de las VNPS; en las VPFS se obtuvo la variabilidad de la frecuencia cardiaca (VFC) durante una prueba de exposición a imágenes de alimentos. Los resultados muestran que los participantes con TA obtuvieron puntuaciones mayores en los instrumentos IACA (p < .0001), SD (p < .0001) y SA (p < .0001); mientras que en las VNPS mostraron fallas en la FC con incremento en el porcentaje de errores totales (p = .01), errores perseverativos (p = .03) y CI (p = .004). Para las VPFS se encontró una reducción de la VFC (p < .0001) en aquellos participantes con TA.