Altered Neural Pain Empathic Reactivity in NSSI Adolescents

Launched by UNIVERSITY OF ELECTRONIC SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF CHINA · Jul 20, 2023

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying how adolescents who engage in nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) respond to the pain of others. NSSI refers to intentionally hurting oneself without wanting to end one’s life, and it’s increasingly recognized as a serious public health concern. The researchers want to understand how these young people experience empathy, or the ability to feel and understand someone else's pain, by comparing them to healthy adolescents. They will use a special type of brain imaging called fMRI to see which areas of the brain are active when participants view images related to physical pain and emotional expressions of pain.

To participate in this study, teens aged 15 to 18 who are right-handed and have normal vision may be eligible, provided they have engaged in self-harm behaviors at least five times over the past year. However, those with certain mental health diagnoses, a high risk of suicide, or recent treatment for emotional problems may not qualify. If chosen, participants can expect to undergo brain scanning while viewing different types of images, helping researchers better understand how NSSI affects emotional processing. This study aims to shed light on the unique emotional experiences of adolescents who self-harm and could lead to better care and support for them.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • 15-18 years
• • right-handed
• • normal or corrected normal visual acuity
• • meet the proposed DSM-5 frequency criteria (e.g., ≥5 days of NSSI behaviors in the past year)
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • diagnosis of borderline personality disorder, major depressive disorder, other
• • psychiatric disorders, etc.
• • high suicidal risk
• • recent use of medications that can affect neural activity
• • have received or are receiving Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) other treatment for emotional problems within the past 6 months
• • have a contraindication to MRI scanning (e.g., metal implants, claustrophobia or other conditions that make them inappropriate for MRI scanning)