Table 5.
Double-blind controlled trials of HUFAs in the treatment of impulsivity and borderline personality disorder.
| Study | Drug and Dose | Sample | Treatment Duration | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamazaki et al., 1996 [113] | DHA 1.5–1.8 g/day | 41 healthy controls (21–30 years) | 3 months | ↓ aggression |
| Bradbury et al. (2004) [115] | DHA 1.5 g/day | 47 healthy controls (18–60 years) | 6 weeks | ↓ level of stress |
| Itomura et al. (2005) [114] | DHA 3.6 g/day + EPA 0.84 g/day | 166 healthy controls (9–12 years) | 3 months | ↓ aggression, ↓ impulsivity |
| Zanarini and Frankenburg, 2003 [116] | EPA 1 g/day (with no standard psychiatric therapies) | 30 BPD females | 8 weeks | ↓ aggression, ↓ depression |
| Hallahan et al., 2007 [117] | EPA 1.2 g/day + DHA 0.9 g/day (added to the standard psychiatric therapies) | 49 patients with self-defeating behaviors (39 BPD patients) | 12 weeks | ↓ depression, ↓ parasuicidal behaviors, ↓ stress reactivity |
| Bellino et al., 2014 [118] | EPA (1.2 g/day) + DHA (0.6 g/day) in combination with valproic acid (800–1300 mg/day) vs. valproic acid (800–1300 mg/day) (plasma range: 50–100 μg/mL) | 43 BPD patients | 12 weeks | ↓ severity of BPDSI, ↓ impulsive behavioral dyscontrol, ↓ anger, ↓ self-mutilating conduct |
Abbreviations: EPA = eicosapentaenoic acid; DHA = docosahexaenoic acid; ethyl-EPA = ethyl-eicosapentaenoic acid; BPDSI = Borderline Personality Disorder Severity Index; ↓ = decrease of; ↑ = increase of.