Comparing focused attention meditation to meditation with mobile neurofeedback for persistent symptoms after mild-moderate traumatic brain injury: a pilot study

ABSTRACT

Primary Objective

This study evaluated whether a meditation practice incorporating mobile neurofeedback (mNF) offers any advantage over a more traditional form of focused attention (FA) meditation in managing persistent symptoms after traumatic brain injury (TBI) (clinicaltrials.gov NCT02615535).

Research Design

Pilot randomized clinical trial, exploring feasibility of mNF in TBI.

Methods and Procedures

Participants included adults with chronic mood and/or cognitive complaints following mild-moderate TBI. Subjects practiced either FA (n = 10) or mNF (n = 10) meditation 12 minutes daily for 6 weeks. Pre-post intervention difference on the Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory (NSI) was the primary outcome variable. Secondary outcomes included the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), amongst other scales and neurocognitive tests.

Main Outcomes and Results

No significant pre-post between-group differences were found on the NSI (p = .838) nor other assessments. In an exploratory analysis combining FA and mNF data, meditation was associated with significant improvements on the NSI (p = .04), BAI (p = .012) and BDI (p = .037).

Conclusions

Meditating with neurofeedback does not appear to provide an advantage over meditating on one’s own for chronic post-TBI symptoms. Further research on home-based meditation following TBI, whether self-directed or technologically facilitated, is warranted.

KEYWORDS:

• Traumatic brain injury
• meditation
• neurofeedback
• anxiety
• depression

Conflicts of interest

To support this pilot study, the authors acknowledge a donation of 25 “Muse: the brain sensing headband” neurofeedback devices from InteraXon, which were given to research participants.

Declaration of interest

To support this pilot study, the authors acknowledge a donation of 25 “Muse: the brain sensing headband” neurofeedback devices from InteraXon, which were provided to participants as compensation for their participation in the study.

Notes

1. The company’s designated calibration task format changed approximately mid-way through the study when a new version of the Muse app was released.

Additional information

Funding

This study was not supported by any funding.