Neurofeedback-enhanced Mindfulness Meditation in Traumatic Brain Injury

Twenty subjects in total will participate in this study. Subjects will be randomized to focused-attention meditation training with or without the neurofeedback device, MUSE. Subjects will be asked to practice ~10 min of daily meditation for 6-8 weeks. Neuropsychological testing will be performed at the beginning of the study and after six weeks of training. At this time point, those randomized to the non-MUSE group will be given a device and asked to train for an additional two weeks. At the conclusion of the study, all subjects will also undergo a brief telephone or in-person exit interview regarding their experiences using the MUSE device.

Primary endpoint: change in Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory

Secondary endpoints: change in the following: Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-IV Digit Span and Symbol-Digit Coding, Trail-Making Test, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory, Cognitive and Affective Mindfulness Scale-Revised, percentage of EEG activity associated with alpha, beta, or theta activity.

Inclusion criteria

• history of mild-moderate traumatic brain injury
• impaired attention or concentration
• >1 year since traumatic brain injury
• ability to participate in neurofeedback and mindfulness meditation
• daily access to a smart phone
• on stable dosage of neuropsychological medications with no significant changes planned for the duration of the study
• no prior history of a meditation practice

Exclusion criteria

• severe mental illness or psychological symptoms (severe depression, suicidality, disabling anxiety, PTSD, psychosis, dissociation)
• significant pre-morbid learning disability
• current or recent (in past year) history of significant drug or alcohol abuse
• medical illness severe enough to result in an attentional disorder
• neurodegenerative disease
• non-fluency in English.