Examining the Effects of Real-time fMRI Neurofeedback and Biofeedback in Adolescents With Nonsuicidal Self-injury

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is defined as the direct, deliberate destruction of one's own body tissue without suicidal intent, typically including behaviors such as cutting, burning, or hitting oneself. The risk of engaging in NSSI is particularly high during adolescence. NSSI is associated with impairments in emotion regulation and NSSI behavior serves as an attempt to regulate emotion. We propose to examine whether training adolescents with NSSI to self-regulate using emotion regulation skills to down-regulate hemodynamic activity of the salience network, involved in emotional processing. Moreover, we propose to examine whether limbic-prefrontal cortex connectivity can be increased following neurofeedback, thereby helping adolescents find an optimal way to emotionally regulate with the help of neurofeedback, instead of engaging in NSSI to regulate emotions. We also aim to examine effects of real-time biofeedback by investigating if adolescents can regulate their psychophysiological activity during emotional reactivity with biofeedback. Sixty participants with NSSI will be recruited and offered either real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging (rt-fMRI-NF) (n = 30) or real-time biofeedback (n = 30) training. Participants each each condition will then be randomized to either an active or a control condition (n = 15/group). Participants will take part in three runs of feedback training. Changes in emotional reactivity as measured with facial electromyography (EMG) before and after feedback training will be the proximal outcome measure together with changes of the blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) response during real-time fMRI-neurofeedback for the neurofeedback training. Proximal outcome measures for the biofeedback will include psychophysiological measures of emotional reactivity (facialEMG). More distal outcome measures for both neuro- and biofeedback will be measures of NSSI: frequency, methods and severity as well as self-report measures of difficulties with regulating emotions, emotional reactivity and psychiatric symptoms.