Brain Health & Wellness Classes for Veterans With Traumatic Brain Injury

Purpose

This study is testing the usefulness of two types of Brain Health & Wellness classes for Veterans with a history of concussion to improve mental health.

Conditions

  • Brain Injury Traumatic Mild
  • Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

Eligibility

Eligible Ages
Between 18 Years and 75 Years
Eligible Sex
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
No

Inclusion Criteria

  • 18-75 years old - chronic history (>6 months) of one or more mTBIs - current diagnosis of PTSD - at least one self-reported cognitive symptom

Exclusion Criteria

  • no history of other neurologic disease (e.g., tumor, stroke, dementia, Parkinson's) - no history of major brain surgery - no history of moderate or severe TBI - no active alcohol or drug dependence or abuse within previous 30 days - no history of severe psychotic disorder (e.g., schizophrenia) - no current suicidal ideation/risk - no clinically severe medical illness requiring treatment

Study Design

Phase
N/A
Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention Model
Parallel Assignment
Primary Purpose
Treatment
Masking
None (Open Label)

Arm Groups

ArmDescriptionAssigned Intervention
Experimental
Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction class
Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is a 9-week class that meets 2.5 hours/week and involves training in mindfulness (being present in the moment), meditation, and yoga. The MBSR course is taught by a certified MBSR instructor.
  • Behavioral: Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction class
    9-week standard Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction class training on mindfulness techniques, medication, and yoga
Active Comparator
Brain Health Education Class
the Brain Health Education Class is a 9-week class that meets 2.5 hours/week and involves lectures/discussion about how the brain works, how the brain ages, neuroplasticity, and other topics on the brain.
  • Behavioral: Brain Health Education class
    9-week Brain Health education class that involves lectures/discussion about how the brain works and recovers after brain injury

Recruiting Locations

VA Northern California Health Care System
Martinez, California 94553
Contact:
Juliana Baldo, PhD
925-372-4649
Juliana.Baldo@va.gov

More Details

Status
Recruiting
Sponsor
East Bay Institute for Research and Education

Study Contact

Juliana Baldo, PhD
925-372-4649
Juliana.Baldo@va.gov

Detailed Description

This is a pragmatic, randomized controlled trial of Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) in 120 Veterans with comorbid PTSD and chronic mTBI. Half of the participants are randomly assigned to MBSR and the other half, to a Brain Health education class, which serves as an active control group. A battery of standardized psychological and cognitive measures are administered prior to and following the class interventions to assess change in response to the intervention, with an additional 6-month follow-up assessment to test for lasting changes. The primary outcome measures include the Mayo-Portland Adaptability Inventory IV (functional outcome), PTSD Checklist (psychological outcome), and cognitive control test (cognitive outcome).