One-Session Neurostimulation and Cognitive Restructuring Training for Adults With Emotional Dysregulation A Study Using Brain Imaging and Behavioral Assessments to Improve Emotion Regulation Skills

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are investigating how combining emotion regulation skills training with excitatory repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation rTMS over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex dlPFC affects brain function and behavior in adults experiencing difficulties calming down when upset. This study focuses on adults diagnosed with various DSM-5 disorders related to mood, anxiety, stress, and emotion regulation. The goal is to understand how neurostimulation may improve emotion regulation and identify brain changes and personal biomarkers linked to treatment response. Participants are randomly assigned to one of three groups one group learns cognitive restructuring while receiving rTMS over their dlPFC the second group learns cognitive restructuring while receiving electrical scalp stimulation and the third group receives emotional awareness training combined with rTMS. All interventions are delivered in a single session, with neurostimulation targeted using individual brain imaging results. After the session, participants complete follow-up visits at one week and one month for additional brain scans, interviews, and assessments. Throughout the study, participants undergo brain imaging while performing emotion regulation tasks to measure neural activity changes. Researchers monitor physiological arousal during the intervention and assess emotion regulation through self-reports and cognitive measures at follow-up visits. The study lasts about one month from initial assessment to final follow-up, including detailed evaluations of heart rate variability, brain connectivity, and self-efficacy related to emotional control. This research aims to develop new treatments based on neuroscience for emotional difficulties across different disorders.

Neurostimulation Versus Therapy for Problems With Emotions