Can a virtual mindfulness group ease the emotional toll of ALS?
NCT ID NCT05595850
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This completed trial from Harvard University tested whether an online mindfulness program and social community could improve quality of life for 100 people with ALS and their primary caregivers. Participants used a three-week e-learning program with cognitive exercises and videos, then joined a private social forum to practice mindfulness together. The study compared their results to a control group and followed up for six months.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Online mindfulness program and social support community
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a low-cost, accessible way to improve emotional well-being for ALS patients and their caregivers.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, completed early-stage study. The intervention is behavioral, so results may vary widely, and long-term benefits are uncertain.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
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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100 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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May 2020
- Finished
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Apr 2025
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
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.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: For the ALS patients * a definite, probable, laboratory-supported, or possible ALS by revised El-Escorial criteria * they must have the physical ability, with or without adaptive devices, to use a smartphone, a tablet, or a computer * have access to the Internet. For the caregivers * be the person who resides with the ALS patient and is the major provider of unpaid care and assistance (typically, the spouse or another close relative) * s/he must be able to use the application * have access to the Internet. Exclusion criteria \- Using shared devices. Patients and caregivers should have their own devices.
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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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Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02138, United States
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