StresscalmNCT01262404
Imaging Cerebral and Sub-cerebral Correlates of Meditative States
An observational study of Stress, run by Boston University Charles River Campus at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
Three groups of subjects are trained to practice mindfulness meditation, compassion meditation, or attend a health training control class. Individuals from each group will undergo structural and functional brain imaging before and after training. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 65 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Stress
- How many people
- 58 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- Jan 2010to Oct 2011
- Phase
- Observational
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 65 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Study population: Community Sample
Who may be able to join
- Age 18-65 for the mindfulness-compassion study
- Prior training in gtummo meditation for the gtummo study
Who cannot join
- Previous experience with meditation for the mindfulness-compassion study
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
Boston University Dept. of Cognitive and Neural Systems
Boston, Massachusetts, 02215
About this study
Three groups of subjects are trained to practice mindfulness meditation, compassion meditation, or attend a health training control class. Individuals from each group will undergo structural and functional brain imaging before and after training. The hypothesis is that the compassion meditation group will show the largest changes in brain structure and function. In a second series of experiments, the subjects practicing a Tibetan meditation practice will be undergo MRI thermometry imaging to construct detailed three dimensional temperature maps of their bodies before, during, and after they perform this practice.
Read the detailed description
Structural (MRI) Imaging will be used to measure changes in cortical thickness in the pre and post training groups. Function (fMRI) Imaging will be used to measure changes in cortical and sub-cortical responses to a series of affectively controlled visual images, presented during scanning. MRI Thermometry Imaging will be used to construct three dimensional temperature maps of subjects while performing meditation in the scanner.
- Conditions
- Stress
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| HealthEd,Minfdulness,Compassion | HealthEd receives training health education. Mindfulness receives training in mindfulness meditation. Compassion receives training in compassion meditation. |
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted17 Dec 2010 (estimated)
- Study startJan 2010
- Primary completionOct 2011
- Study completionOct 2011
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for StressStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Observational
- Observational model
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Cross-sectional
- Enrolment
- 58 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Boston University Charles River Campus
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Emory University
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Eric L Schwartz, PhD, Principal investigator, Boston University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT01262404
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- BU-Emory-01
- Other IDs
- AT005728-01
- Acronym
- calm
- Status last verified
- Dec 2011
- First submitted
- 16 Dec 2010
- Last updated
- 29 Jul 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 29 Jul 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Imaging Cerebral and Sub-cerebral Correlates of Meditative States
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT01262404
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- calm / BU-Emory-01
- Conditions
- Stress
- Study type
- Observational
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 58 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Boston University Charles River CampusUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Emory University
- Study start
- Jan 2010 (actual)
- Primary completion
- Oct 2011 (actual)
- Study completion
- Oct 2011 (actual)
- First posted
- 17 Dec 2010 (estimated)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Three groups of subjects are trained to practice mindfulness meditation, compassion meditation, or attend a health training control class. Individuals from each group will undergo structural and functional brain imaging before and after training. The hypothesis is that the compassion meditation group will show the largest changes in brain structure and function. In a second series of experiments, the subjects practicing a Tibetan meditation practice will be undergo MRI thermometry imaging to construct detailed three dimensional temperature maps of their bodies before, during, and after they perform this practice.
Detailed description
Structural (MRI) Imaging will be used to measure changes in cortical thickness in the pre and post training groups. Function (fMRI) Imaging will be used to measure changes in cortical and sub-cortical responses to a series of affectively controlled visual images, presented during scanning. MRI Thermometry Imaging will be used to construct three dimensional temperature maps of subjects while performing meditation in the scanner.
Study design
- Observational model
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Cross-sectional
- Number of arms
- 1
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| HealthEd,Minfdulness,Compassion | – | –HealthEd receives training health education. Mindfulness receives training in mindfulness meditation. Compassion receives training in compassion meditation. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 65 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
- Study population
- Community Sample
Key inclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Age 18-65 for the mindfulness-compassion study
- Prior training in gtummo meditation for the gtummo study
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Previous experience with meditation for the mindfulness-compassion study
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Primary outcome
Not reported in the source record.
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 29 Jul 2026.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Eric L Schwartz, PhD principal investigator
Boston University
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
An observational study of Stress, run by Boston University Charles River Campus at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 2 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 29 Jul 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 29 Jul 2026.