Sarah Fineberg and her Lab at Yale University
Dr. Sarah Fineberg is one of the stellar young investigators in Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) research who was funded in 2014 through our research partnership with the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF).

We had a great visit with Sarah at Yale University this past December 8th. We met her for lunch at one of her favorite New Haven, CT spots, Atticus, a busy and fun bookstore/café. Then we spent the afternoon with some members of her research team (see photo below), and heard from each about their exciting projects. Rightly so, Sarah called this meeting “a data blitz!” We left feeling invigorated about their research that concerns social behavior in those with BPD, and in turn how insights could help lessen their difficulties with interpersonal relationships. One project specifically aims at building rapport between doctors and patients with BPD, a much-needed area.
 
Sarah will be presenting a Meet the Scientist Webinar for BBRF titled “Quantifying Difficulties in Social Interactions in BPD” on March 13, 2018 … stay tuned. You can view her previous BBRF webinar here. In addition, Sarah has just published a paper in Psychiatry Research on social distance and BPD.

If you or a family member is interested in participating in Sarah’s clinical trial on ketamine studying its effects on suicidality and mood in those with BPD, please see her following blurb: 

​We are starting a new study this winter. The purpose of this study is to test the potential of a medication called ketamine to decrease suicidality in Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD).

Ketamine is a medication that is FDA approved for use in anesthesia.  Other researchers have found that ketamine can rapidly decrease suicidality and improve mood in people with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD).  Though symptoms overlap, effective treatments for MDD and BPD differ.  Therefore, we cannot assume that ketamine will have the same effects for people with BPD that it does for people with MDD.  This clinical trial tests if ketamine also decreases suicidality and improves mood in BPD. The study will also test if ketamine helps with pain and social functioning in BPD.

We would be pleased to talk with people who may be interested in volunteering to participate as research subjects. The study is open to men and women aged 21 to 45 who have BPD.  To be eligible, participants must be in mental health treatment.  They can be taking either no medication or up to two antidepressants and one antipsychotic medication.  For more details or to inquire about participating in the study, please phone Dr. Fineberg’s office at 203-974-7265.