Brain training with mindfulness may quiet repetitive negative thoughts in teens
NCT ID NCT07055217
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study looks at whether a single session of mindfulness-based neurofeedback can change brain patterns linked to repetitive negative thinking in adolescents. Researchers will compare 50 teens with high repetitive negative thinking to 50 healthy teens, using real or fake neurofeedback. The goal is to understand how the brain's default mode network responds, not to provide a treatment.
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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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About 100 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Nov 2025
- Expected to finish
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Apr 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- 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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13 to 21 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
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: * Ages 13-21, inclusive * If \<18 years old: Competent and willing to provide written informed assent AND have a parent/legal guardian who is competent and willing to provide written informed consent * If age ≥18 years: Competent and willing to provide written informed consent * Tanner puberty stage ≥3 (to minimize neuroendocrine variability) * Able to understand study procedures, read, and write in English * Access to a mobile device to complete daily surveys Additional Inclusion Criteria for At-Risk Adolescents - Recurrent negative thinking, defined as PTQ/PTQ-C total score \>30 with at least two items rated as 3 (Often) or 4 (Almost Always) Additional Inclusion Criteria for Healthy Controls -PTQ/PTQ-C total score \<15, with zero items rated as 3 (Often) or 4 (Always) Exclusion Criteria: * Any of the following lifetime mental health disorders by DSM-V criteria: psychotic disorders, bipolar disorder, recurrent moderate or severe major depressive disorder, conduct disorder, developmental disorder (e.g., autism), post-traumatic stress disorder, or obsessive compulsive disorder * Severe lifetime substance use disorder * Unstable medical or neurologic condition as determined by study staff, history of epilepsy or seizure disorder, head injury, loss of consciousness \>5 minutes by participant self-report * MRI contraindications (i.e. presence of ferromagnetic implants, cardiac pacemaker or pacemaker wires, metallic particles in the body, vascular clips in the head or previous neurosurgery, prosthetic heart valves, magnetic dental implants claustrophobia). * Visual, auditory, or cognitive impairment (IQ\<80 based on the Wechsler Abbreviated Intelligence Scale (WASI)) that may make it difficult to participate. * Any condition or situation that would, in the investigator's opinion, make it unlikely that the participant could adhere safely to the study protocol. * Pregnancy: a negative pregnancy test is required at the time of enrollment for any individuals of childbearing potential * Individuals who are under the legal protection of the government or state (Wards of the State)
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As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Massachusetts General Hospital, Center for Addiction Medicine, 101 Merrimac Street, Suite 320, Boston, MA 02114
RECRUITINGBoston, Massachusetts, 02114, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Mindfulness meets Brain-Tech: new study targets repetitive negative thinking in teens
- Mind over worry: brain training study targets future anxiety
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