Recent research has identified heightened sensitivity to social rejection as a core feature
of BPD. Rejection sensitivity can trigger the aggressive, impulsive, and self-injurious
behaviors characteristic of the disorder.
Therefore targeting therapy towards the reduction of rejection sensitivity may improve the
low rates of effectiveness of current pharmacological and behavioral therapies. Therefore,
this proposal tests a theoretically-based pharmacological approach that specifically targets
the heightened sensitivity to rejection experienced by BPD patients.
In prior research with normal controls, it was shown that chronic treatment with the physical
pain-killer acetaminophen (e.g. Tylenol) reduced both neural responses to social rejection
(using fMRI) as well as self-reported feelings of rejection in a daily diary study.
It is the aim of this research project to determine if the over-the-counter analgesic,
acetaminophen (active ingredient in Tylenol), can reduce symptoms and behaviors in BPD
patients. The goal of this proposal is to use an open-label design to determine if
acetaminophen improves symptoms in BPD patients.
Phase:
Phase 2
Details
Lead Sponsor:
Ohio State University
Collaborator:
National Center for Advancing Translational Science (NCATS)