The impact of an app-delivered mindfulness-based intervention on resting-state functional connectivity in pediatric concussion: a pilot study
Olivier Brown, Andra M. Smith, Molly Cairncross, Andrew B. Dodd, Gary S. Goldfield, Clare Gray, Ashley D. Harris, Natalia Jaworska, Bechara J. Saab, Veronik Sicard, Noah D. Silverberg, Lisa A.S. Walker, Roger Zemek, Andrée‐Anne Ledoux
Frontiers in Neuroscience September 17, 2026 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2026.1771767 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized clinical trial Pilot study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 36 |
| Population | Adolescents aged 12.00–17.99 years recruited from an emergency department or interdisciplinary concussion clinic within 72 hours of concussion |
| Interventions | App-delivered mindfulness-based intervention cognitive sham |
| Duration | Imaging at 72 hours and 4 weeks post-concussion |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Registration | NCT05105802 |
| Key findings | The mindfulness-based intervention produced significant Group × Time changes in functional connectivity across default mode, salience, and central executive networks compared with a cognitive sham. Most default mode clusters showed larger connectivity reductions at 4 weeks in the mindfulness group, with one salience cluster showing greater increase and one executive cluster showing greater decrease. The authors state larger studies are needed to support these findings. |
Abstract
Rationale: Concussion disrupts brain connectivity, and effective treatments remain limited. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) may influence functional connectivity (FC) of networks affected by concussion, but pediatric trials are lacking. This study investigated whether an app-delivered MBI produced greater FC changes than a sham condition across the default mode (DMN), salience (SN), and central executive (CEN) networks.
Methods: This randomized clinical trial (NCT05105802) recruited participants aged 12.00–17.99 years from the emergency department or interdisciplinary concussion clinic, then randomly assigned them to MBI or cognitive sham. Brain imaging sessions occurred at 72 h and 4 weeks post-concussion. Region-of-interest and seed-to-voxel analyses examined Group × Time interactions in FC across DMN, SN, and CEN ( p < 0.050 FDR ).
Results: Thirty-six participants were included (MBI: n = 16, median [IQR] age = 14.23 [13.52–15.65] years, 31% female; Sham: n = 20, median [IQR] age = 14.05 [13.13–16.26] years, 45% female). Intention-to-treat analyses revealed significant Group × Time interactions across networks. DMN-CEN FC patterns differed, with MBI participants showing diminished FC. Within DMN, four clusters showed significant interactions ( p < 0.050 FDR ), three exhibiting larger FC reductions at 4 weeks in MBI participants. MBI participants showed greater FC increase in one SN cluster ( p = 0.040 FDR ) and larger FC decrease in one CEN cluster ( p = 0.024 FDR ) at 4 weeks. Per-protocol analyses identified one significant DMN cluster ( p < 0.001 FDR ) where MBI participants exhibited greater FC increases.
Conclusion: Mindfulness-based intervention training led to changes in FC in networks implicated in concussion recovery. Larger studies are needed to support these findings. Clinical trial registration https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05105802 , identifier NCT05105802.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Healthy employees in a work environment | 2003 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 41 |
| Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2000 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 145 |
| Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Working adults | 2008 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 139 |
| Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Undergraduate Chinese students | 2007 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 40 |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Replication and Exploration of Differential Relapse Prevention Effects. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2004 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 73 |
Citations in the library
Cites 22
- Mindfulness Interventions Annual Review of Psychology September 30, 2016
- Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences November 23, 2011
- Attending to the present: mindfulness meditation reveals distinct neural modes of self-reference Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience August 13, 2007
- Assessing mindfulness in children and adolescents: Development and validation of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM). Psychological Assessment April 11, 2011
- Impact of meditation training on the default mode network during a restful state Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience March 24, 2012
and 17 more in the library