NCT06109909

Pilot Study of Neurofeedback for Photosensitivity in Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

A Novel Neurofeedback Intervention for Photosensitivity in Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 36 (estimated)
• Sponsor: VA Office of Research and Development · Federal
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 65 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The goal of this study is to complete a pilot study testing the feasibility and acceptability of low-intensity pulse-based transcranial stimulation (LIP-tES) neurofeedback intervention for reducing photosensitivity symptoms in Veterans with a history of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). The study will also complete resting-state MRI scans to assess neurophysiological markers of photosensitivity and changes associated with LIP-tES intervention.

Detailed description

Photosensitivity (PS) is one of the more common sequelae of TBI, with over 50% of TBI patients reporting some level of PS in the acute and/or chronic stages. PS can range from mild to severe and can significantly impair social, physical, and cognitive functioning, as well as rehabilitation outcomes. While spectacle chromatic filters are conventionally used to alleviate symptoms, they are not designed to resolve issues with PS and have been associated with lower symptom recovery over time, underscoring the need to develop more effective, non-invasive treatment options that can reduce or eliminate PS. Recent work has shown that neurofeedback interventions, such as Low Intensity Pulse-Based Transcranial Electrical Stimulation (LIP-tES) may be effective in treating post-concussive symptoms and a preliminary case study from the investigators' research group suggests that LIP-tES may also be able to reduce PS symptoms in Veterans with a history of mild TBI. However, both the mechanism by which LIP-tES alters brain activity and alleviates symptoms across a range of disorders remains unclear as does the neurobiological basis of PS associated with mTBI and psychiatric comorbidities commonly seen in today's Veteran population. These knowledge gaps represent important limitations both for the clinical characterization of PS in Veterans and development/optimization of novel treatment options. This proposal will take an important first step in addressing these two important knowledge gaps. Aim 1: Complete a preliminary study testing the feasibility and acceptability of a novel LIP-tES intervention designed to reduce severity of PS in patients with a history of mTBI. Extending a recent case study completed by the investigators' research group, the investigators will complete a pilot study of LIP-tES for the treatment of PS in Veterans with a history of mTBI. The investigators will track recruitment capability (participants screened vs. enrolled, attrition rates and reasons for attrition), acceptability and suitability of the intervention, evaluate suitability of the sham procedure the investigators developed, and gain preliminary evaluation of participant responses to the intervention. Aim 2: Assess neurophysiological markers of PS and changes associated with LIP-tES intervention using resting-state fMRI. A subset of the participants will complete two MRI scans during the initial visit after the last LIP-tES or sham session. Preliminary work from the investigators' laboratory has identified a sparse connectome of regions that are predictive of moderate/severe PS ratings in a polymorbid sample of Veterans from the Translational Research Center for TBI and Stress Disorders (TRACTS) longitudinal cohort study. Extending this work, the investigators will test whether classification models using this previously identified connectome will correctly identify individuals who report a reduction in PS after treatment and whether connections are predictive of PS severity. By examining resting-state functional connectivity prior to and after completion of LIP-tES, the proposed study aims to increase the understanding of the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms of PS in mTBI and the mechanism by which LIP-tES may alleviate these symptoms.

Conditions

• Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
• Photophobia

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DEVICE	Micro Current Neurofeedback Device using Low-Frequency Pulse-Based Transcranial Electrical Stimulation	The EEG interface device is a J\&J Engineering 1-330 C2 box. The software used to determine LIP-tES feedback patterns was developed by Neurogen High Performance Neurofeedback. The EEG sampling frequency is 256 Hz on each of 2 EEG acquisition channels. The feedback LIP-tES is delivered via the 4 EEG leads (A+,A-,B+,B-), with respect to the Common Neck Reference. During each session, 2 electrodes (A- and B-) are attached to the participant's left and right mastoids, while the remaining two electrodes (A+ and B+) are moved to various locations on the scale to record EEG signals. All four (A+,A-,B+,B-) electrodes are involved in applying weak electrical pulses back to the brain (feedback process). The brief feedback pulse (\~100mV) is adaptive and determined based on the offset of the frequency spectrum recorded across the left and right hemisphere (A vs. B) electrodes in the time window immediately prior to stimulation.

Timeline

• Start date: 2024-01-01
• Primary completion: 2026-11-30
• Completion: 2026-11-30
• First posted: 2023-10-31
• Last updated: 2025-12-16

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States