Mobile Neurofeedback for Low Back Pain

NCT ID: NCT05669027

Last Updated: 2025-12-17

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 150 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2023-10-02
• Study Completion Date: 2027-05-01

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to learn more about improving the quality of treatments for people who have chronic low back pain. Participants will complete interviews with Duke researchers at four different time points: the beginning of the study, at 3 months, at 6 months, and at 9 months. Participants will be asked to use a mobile app and a headset that are designed to train the brain to be more relaxed. Participants will use the mobile app for 10 minutes at a time, four times a week for three months. The study team will also check in with participants about app use six times throughout the study, via phone or video conference.

Detailed Description

This is a double-blind randomized controlled trial to test effects of mHealth mobile neurofeedback on the outcomes of pain, enrolling 150 adult participants (18 years of age or older) with chronic low backpain. Participants will be scheduled for a baseline interview at Dr. Elbogen's research office at Duke after a preliminary telephone screen. After providing informed consent, participants will complete an eligibility assessment, a physical function test, self-report questionnaire on pain interference including clinical interviews for health outcomes of pain; self-report questionnaire on pain interference, pain self-efficacy, drug and alcohol use, opioid use, drug/alcohol use; a physical function test; and an EEG. Participants will be be randomly assigned to either an experimental (mobile neurofeedback) or placebo-control (sham neurofeedback) group. All participants will receive a portable Muse EEG headset and an iPod Touch with a mobile app named 'Mobile Neurofeedback' and be asked to complete 10-minute sessions at least 4 days per week for 12 weeks. Participants will be asked to report their current level of pain, stress, and anger before and after each session. The experimental condition involves a mobile app that provides auditory feedback signaling EEG alpha power above a threshold level, denoting a physiologically relaxed state. The control condition involves a visually identical mobile app yoked to a pre-recorded set of actual neurofeedback sessions (i.e., placebo). Study coordinators will conduct 6 check in calls in the intervening period, the study team will to reinforce training, troubleshoot technical problems, and assess any risk/safety issues (weeks 1,3,5,7,9, and 11). Follow-up data will be collected upon completion of the intervention at 12 weeks, 24 weeks and 36 weeks. During all follow-up visits, participants will complete self-report questionnaires, a physical function test, and an EEG. Data will be collected at baseline, 3, 6, and 9 months.

Conditions

Chronic Low Back Pain

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: DOUBLE

Study Groups

Experimental Condition

Mobile Neurofeedback intervention arm

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Neurofeedback

Intervention Type: DEVICE

Participants will be asked to complete 10-minute sessions at least 4 days per week for 12 weeks. Participants will be asked to report their current level of pain, stress, and anger before and after each session. The experimental condition involves a mobile app that provides auditory feedback signaling EEG alpha power above a threshold level, denoting a physiologically relaxed state.

Control Condition

Sham-control arm

Group Type: PLACEBO_COMPARATOR

Sham (Placebo Control)

Intervention Type: DEVICE

Participants will be asked to complete 10-minute sessions at least 4 days per week for 12 weeks. Participants will be asked to report their current level of pain, stress, and anger before and after each session. The control condition involves a visually identical mobile app yoked to a pre-recorded set of actual neurofeedback sessions (i.e., placebo).

Interventions

Neurofeedback

Participants will be asked to complete 10-minute sessions at least 4 days per week for 12 weeks. Participants will be asked to report their current level of pain, stress, and anger before and after each session. The experimental condition involves a mobile app that provides auditory feedback signaling EEG alpha power above a threshold level, denoting a physiologically relaxed state.

Intervention Type: DEVICE

Sham (Placebo Control)

Participants will be asked to complete 10-minute sessions at least 4 days per week for 12 weeks. Participants will be asked to report their current level of pain, stress, and anger before and after each session. The control condition involves a visually identical mobile app yoked to a pre-recorded set of actual neurofeedback sessions (i.e., placebo).

Intervention Type: DEVICE

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

1. Responding greater than 3 months to "How long has low back pain been an ongoing problem for you?"

2. Responding 'at least half the days' to "How often has low back pain been an ongoing problem for you over the past 6 months?"

Investigators will follow recommendations to items and responses provided by the NIH Task Force on Research Standards for Chronic Low Back Pain, which specifically: "recommended 2 questions to achieve the definition of chronic low back pain: (1) How long has back pain been an ongoing problem for you? (2) How often has low back pain been an ongoing problem for you over the past 6 months? A response of greater than 3 months to question 1 and a response of 'at least half the days in the past 6 months' to question 2 would define chronic lower back pain."

Exclusion Criteria

1. History of seizures.

2. Planning pain-related surgery in the next 9 months.

3. Individuals with implanted medical devices that could experience interference during EEG and/or ECG, such as a spinal cord stimulator or pacemaker.

4. Lower back pain is associated with compensation or litigation issues.

5. Rating of past week pain intensity<4 on 0-10 point scale.

6. Rating of past week pain interference<4 on 0-10 point scale.

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 90 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

NIH

Sponsor Role: collaborator

National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)

NIH

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Duke University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Eric Elbogen, Ph.D.

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Duke - Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Locations

Duke University Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry

Durham, North Carolina, United States

Site Status: RECRUITING

Countries

United States

Central Contacts

Janequia Evans

Role: CONTACT

DBHTL@duke.edu

919-681-1613

Facility Contacts

Eric Elbogen

Role: primary

vetstudy@duke.edu

919-684-9983

Other Identifiers

Pro00108939

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

1R01NR019788-01A1

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

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