NCT03975595

Meditation Effects on Brain Function in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Completed NA Results posted Last updated 9 March 2023

What this trial tests

NA trial testing Meditation Intervention A in Rheumatoid Arthritis in 44 participants. Completed in 31 October 2021.

Timeline

7 October 2019

Primary endpoint
31 October 2021

31 October 2021

Quick facts

Lead sponsor	Johns Hopkins University
Phase	NA
Status	Completed
Study type	INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation	randomized
Design	parallel
Masking	double
Primary purpose	other
Enrollment	44
Start date	7 October 2019
Primary completion	31 October 2021
Estimated completion	31 October 2021
Sites	1 location across United States

Drugs / interventions tested

• Meditation Intervention A
• Meditation Intervention B

Conditions studied

• Rheumatoid Arthritis — all drugs for Rheumatoid Arthritis →

Sponsor

Johns Hopkins University

Who can join

Adults 30 to 70, any sex, with Rheumatoid Arthritis. Patients with the condition only — healthy volunteers not accepted.

Results — posted to ClinicalTrials.gov

Per-arm endpoint measurements with 95% confidence intervals where reported. Source: trial results section.

Nucleus Accumbens Activation Primary · Measured at the post-Intervention time point during an MRI scan, approximately 60 minutes

Activation in the Nucleus Accumbens will be quantitatively measured as the difference in cerebral blood flow (CBF) response during noxious thermal stimulation while participants actively practice Intervention B in the scanner, compared to the CBF response during noxious thermal stimulation while participants rest. The unit of measure will be milliliter per 100 gram brain tissue per minute (ml/100g/min). There is no normal range for this measure.

Group	Value	95% CI
Meditation Group A-Savoring	16153.59	± 1309.90
Meditation Group B-Breathing	15834.56	± 1681.54

Sponsor's own description

The purpose of this study is to determine the neural mechanisms supporting meditation-based pain relief in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. The scientific premise is that RA patients' use of different meditation practices during noxious thermal stimulation will alter neural function in brain areas associated with pain, evaluation, and emotional appraisal. The investigators will randomize RA patients to a brief 4-session course of Intervention A (n=20) or Intervention B (n=20). At post-intervention, participants will undergo functional MRI (fMRI) using a perfusion-based arterial spin labeling (ASL) technique during noxious thermal stimulation to determine if the meditation practices differentially alter neural function during noxious thermal stimulation.

Publications & conference data

No peer-reviewed publications indexed yet for this trial. Completed trials usually publish results within 12-18 months.