Can a computer program heal a Soldier's brain? new study tests online training for TBI
NCT ID NCT02922569
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tested whether an online program combining cognitive exercises and mindfulness training could help soldiers and veterans with mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) improve their memory, attention, and thinking speed. Twenty-three participants used either a specialized brain-training software or a control program for 30 minutes a day, plus 10 minutes of mindfulness or brain injury education. The goal was to see if the experimental training could ease persistent cognitive problems after a mild TBI.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- computerized cognitive training and online mindfulness training
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a convenient home-based way to help veterans and soldiers sharpen their thinking and memory after a mild brain injury.
- What could go wrong
- This was a very small early study with only 23 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The training is not a medical treatment and may not help all types of brain injury symptoms.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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23 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Mar 2017
- Finished
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Sep 2020
- Lead sponsor
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A company
The lead sponsor is a pharmaceutical, biotech, or medical-device company.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Participants must be 18 years of age or older * Participants must have diagnosis of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) confirmed by Ohio State University TBI Identification Method-Short Form (OSU TBI-ID-SF) * Participants must have persistent cognitive dysfunction confirmed by an objective measure (Automated Neuropsychological Assessment Metrics (ANAM) TBI Battery with a score at least one standard deviation below the age-adjusted norm for a military sample) or a subjective measure (Ruff Neurobehavioral Inventory (RNBI) with a score of greater than 70 on any of the four cognitive scales (Attention, Memory, Language, Executive) * Participants must be at least six months out from their most recent traumatic brain injury (TBI), concussion, and/or blast exposure * Participant must be a fluent English speaker * Participants must score ≥ 70 on the Wechsler Test of Adult Reading (WTAR) * Participants must have adequate sensorimotor capacity to perform the program, including visual capacity adequate to read from a computer screen at a normal viewing distance, auditory capacity adequate to understand normal speech, and motor capacity adequate to control a computer mouse Exclusion Criteria: * Participants with history of TBI with loss of consciousness for more than 24 hours or post-traumatic amnesia for more than 7 days * Participants with a history of penetrating head wounds * Participants who are in-patients * Participants with a diagnosis of an illness or condition with known cognitive consequences (e.g., schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, cancer, multiple sclerosis) * Participants with active suicidal ideation with specific plan and intent or suicide-related behaviors within 2 months of consent as measured by the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) * Participants showing signs of intoxication due to current substance abuse (including alcohol and/or illegal drugs) during any in person visit * Participants with clinically significant visual field deficits * Participants judged to be lacking effort * Participants with problems performing assessments or comprehending or following spoken instructions * Participants enrolled in a concurrent clinical trial involving an investigational pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, medical device, or behavioral treatment for TBI that could affect the outcome of this study * Participant with self-reported claustrophobia or physician-reported implanted devices (e.g. pacemakers, cochlear implants, aneurysm clips, etc.) and pregnant women will not be able to participate in MRI portion of study.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Veterans Affairs Connecticut Health Care System
West Haven, Connecticut, 06516, United States
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