Neurofeedback Mindfulness for Migraines

Overseen By Marla Mickleborough, PhD

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: University of Saskatchewan

Must not be taking: Preventative migraine treatments

Disqualifiers: Raynaud's syndrome, diabetes, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 3

Duration: 8 weeks

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial aims to determine if neurofeedback mindfulness can help people with chronic migraines reduce headache frequency and medication use. Participants will be divided into three groups: one practicing neurofeedback mindfulness, another following a relaxed attention routine, and a waitlisted group. Candidates for this study include those with chronic migraines who live in Saskatoon and own a smartphone. As an unphased trial, this study offers participants the chance to contribute to innovative research that could enhance migraine management.

Do I have to stop taking my current medications for the trial?

The trial does not specify if you need to stop taking your current medications, but it does mention that participants should not be using a preventative migraine treatment for over 6 months. It might be best to discuss your specific medications with the trial coordinators.

What prior data suggests that neurofeedback mindfulness is safe for migraine treatment?

Research has shown that neurofeedback mindfulness is generally a safe treatment for migraines. Studies have found that this method does not cause significant negative side effects. In one study, participants who practiced neurofeedback mindfulness for eight weeks reported improvements in headaches and anxiety without experiencing serious negative effects, indicating the treatment is well-tolerated.

Additionally, other research indicates that behavioral treatments like neurofeedback and mindfulness are safe and can effectively reduce the frequency and severity of migraines. These findings suggest that neurofeedback mindfulness is a promising and safe alternative or addition to traditional migraine medications. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about neurofeedback mindfulness for migraines because it offers a non-drug, self-guided approach to managing headaches. Unlike traditional medications that aim to reduce symptoms, this technique helps individuals actively engage with their own brain activity to potentially alter their migraine experience. Real-time audio feedback provides immediate insights into brain states, encouraging relaxation through interactive cues like thunderstorm sounds for an active mind and bird chirping for a relaxed state. This innovative approach empowers users to develop mindfulness skills that could lead to long-term benefits without the side effects often associated with pharmaceuticals.

What evidence suggests that this trial's treatments could be effective for migraines?

This trial will compare neurofeedback mindfulness with an attention task and a waitlisted group. Research has shown that neurofeedback mindfulness can help people manage migraines more effectively. One study found that this practice reduced headache severity, disability, and anxiety in participants after eight weeks. Another study reported a positive effect on migraines through neurofeedback-based mindfulness. While more research is needed, these findings suggest that neurofeedback mindfulness may reduce migraine symptoms and improve overall well-being. ^{2 3 4 6 7}

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for individuals in the Saskatoon area who have been diagnosed with chronic migraines and haven't practiced meditation frequently. They must own a smartphone, have internet access to use the MUSE app, and not be on any preventative migraine treatment for over 6 months or have Raynaud's syndrome or diabetes.

Inclusion Criteria

I have been diagnosed with chronic migraines by a doctor.

Having a smartphone and internet connection for accessing the MUSE app

Having no frequent background experience of meditation

Exclusion Criteria

I have been using a migraine prevention treatment for over 6 months.

I have Raynaud's syndrome or diabetes.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Treatment

Participants engage in neurofeedback mindfulness or attention tasks for 8 weeks

8 weeks

3 visits (in-person) for questionnaires and data collection

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for changes in migraine severity, medicine dependence, and other outcomes

4 weeks

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Attention Task
• Neurofeedback Mindfulness

Trial Overview The study tests if neurofeedback mindfulness over an 8-week period can help chronic migraine sufferers compared to those doing attention tasks or on a waitlist. It also examines if this practice reduces reliance on medication after the study.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: neurofeedback mindfulness Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

This group is asked to do 10 min/day practice of neurofeedback mindfulness for 8 weeks. They should sit comfortably in a quiet area and do one of ten beginner self-guided mindfulness sessions on mind-body scanning techniques from within the MUSE app. Each session includes a brief explanation for 2-3 minutes before the practice. Once the participants start their practices, they receive sounds for their real-time brain activities: thunderstorm for an active state, ocean waves for a neutral state, and birds chirping for a relaxed state. For each five seconds of consistent relaxed state, the participants are reinforced with points.

Group II: Attention Task Active Control 1 Intervention

The participants in the controlled intervention group are assigned to have an attention routine in a relaxed position. They are required to sit comfortably and relax in a quiet area to put on their MUSE headband, set it up, and use the same practices on MUSE app but they will mute all the neurofeedback sounds and instructions. Instead, on their smartphone the participants will check their emails, the news, or their preferred social media platform for 10 minutes. Once the session is over, the participants receive the graphical feedback of their brain activities. The feedback includes a timeline indicating their brain states (active, or relaxed) during the 10-minute session.

Group III: Waitlisted Group Active Control 1 Intervention

The participants in this group are informed about being appointed in the waitlisted group and that we will only be collecting headache data from them for 8 weeks. They will complete the questionnaires for three rounds (i.e., Week 1, Week 4, and Week 8) and information about their headaches will be collected via the headache diaries. After 8 weeks, they will receive the MUSE device and will be offered a complementary session on how to use the device for their personal use. A debriefing form will be emailed to all the participants after completion of the study.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

University of Saskatchewan

Lead Sponsor

Trials

261

Recruited

156,000+

Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation

Collaborator

Trials

33

Recruited

5,100+

Published Research Related to This Trial

Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs), such as mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), show promise as non-pharmacological treatments for migraine, potentially improving headache-related disability and psychological well-being.

While current research is mostly based on small pilot trials, further studies are needed to determine the most effective ways to implement MBIs, including optimal dosage and delivery methods, as they may serve as valuable tools in a comprehensive migraine management plan.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Mindfulness in migraine: A narrative review. Wells, RE., Seng, EK., Edwards, RR., et al.[2021]

Participants in mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) reported significant changes in their pain perception and response to migraine attacks, leading to improved overall well-being and earlier recognition of migraine symptoms for better management.

Mindfulness practices helped reduce negative feelings associated with migraines, such as fear and anxiety, while increasing positive factors like self-acceptance and self-compassion, suggesting that mindfulness can effectively address both the psychological and physical aspects of migraine management.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Mechanisms of mindfulness in patients with migraine: Results of a qualitative study. Estave, PM., Margol, C., Beeghly, S., et al.[2023]

In a study with 24 migraine sufferers, those who practiced a combination of temporal cooling, frontalis relaxation, and progressive muscular relaxation experienced the most significant relief from headaches.

Control subjects who did not engage in these techniques reported no headache relief, highlighting the effectiveness of the behavioral strategies over relaxation exercises alone.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Multimodal biofeedback in the treatment of migraine. Gamble, EH., Elder, ST.[2019]

In a study of 23 patients with migraine headaches, those who received biofeedback-assisted relaxation therapy experienced greater reductions in pain and medication use compared to those who relaxed on their own.

The biofeedback group also showed significant decreases in cerebral blood flow velocity in the middle cerebral artery, indicating a potential mechanism for how this therapy alleviates migraine symptoms.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Effect of biofeedback-assisted relaxation on migraine headache and changes in cerebral blood flow velocity in the middle cerebral artery. McGrady, A., Wauquier, A., McNeil, A., et al.[2019]

This study is a pilot trial investigating the effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) for treating moderate-to-severe episodic migraines, involving approximately 60 participants and lasting 8 weeks.

MBSR is a low-cost intervention with no known side effects, and if successful, it could lead to a larger clinical trial aimed at confirming its effectiveness in reducing headache days for migraine sufferers.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Conducting a pilot randomized controlled trial of community-based mindfulness-based stress reduction versus usual care for moderate-to-severe migraine: protocol for the Mindfulness and Migraine Study (M&M). Pressman, A., Law, H., Stahl, R., et al.[2020]

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Migraine (MBCT-M) significantly reduces headache-related disability, particularly in individuals with episodic migraine, as shown in a study of 60 participants.

The therapy was more effective for episodic migraine sufferers, reducing severe disability by 40%, compared to only a 16.4% reduction in those with chronic migraine, indicating that the benefits of MBCT-M vary based on the type of migraine.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Response to Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy Differs Between Chronic and Episodic Migraine. Seng, EK., Conway, AB., Grinberg, AS., et al.[2022]

A study of 401 participants with migraines found that most preferred in-person or smartphone-based behavioral therapies for migraine prevention, rather than telephone-based options.

Despite the effectiveness of these therapies, many participants were not willing to pay out of pocket for them, indicating a need for insurance coverage to increase utilization.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Behavioral Therapy Preferences in People With Migraine. Minen, MT., Jalloh, A., Begasse de Dhaem, O., et al.[2021]

The 8-week mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) course was found to be safe and feasible for adults with migraines, showing excellent adherence and no adverse events during the study with 19 participants.

While the study did not find statistically significant changes in migraine frequency, MBSR participants experienced shorter headache duration and improved self-efficacy and mindfulness, suggesting potential benefits that warrant further investigation in larger trials.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Meditation for migraines: a pilot randomized controlled trial. Wells, RE., Burch, R., Paulsen, RH., et al.[2022]

Citations

1. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41101279/

Randomized controlled trial of neurofeedback mindfulness ... The findings indicate that neurofeedback mindfulness meditation enhances headache management self-efficacy, yet larger trials are required ...

2. neuro.jmir.org neuro.jmir.org/2025/1/e68369/PDF

Experiences of a Neurofeedback-Based Mindfulness ... Results: Participants spoke to 3 categories of experiences: the positive impact of neurofeedback-based mindfulness meditation on migraine ...

3. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0967586825006587

Randomized controlled trial of neurofeedback mindfulness ... Data from 61 participants who completed the full 8-week intervention were analyzed. Improvements in headache disability, severity, and anxiety were observed in ...

4. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7737157/

Effectiveness of Mindfulness Meditation vs Headache ... In conclusion, MBSR may help treat total migraine burden, but a larger, more definitive study is needed to further investigate these results.

5. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2451865424001091

Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial of ... Participants in the neurofeedback mindfulness group will have significantly lower scores in migraine disability and intensity, and significantly higher scores ...

6. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11402407/

Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial of ... This protocol investigates the integration of neurofeedback and mindfulness which are the two common nonpharmacological therapies for migraines.

7. headachejournal.onlinelibrary.wiley.com headachejournal.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/head.14914

Behavioral interventions for migraine prevention: A systematic ... Results suggest that for adults, CBT, relaxation training, and mindfulness-based therapies may each reduce the frequency of migraine/headache ...