Effect of Mindfulness-based Neurofeedback for Adolescents With Elevated Repetitive Negative Thinking

"A single 45-minute mindfulness training will be provided to all at-risk participants at visit 2. Clinically trained study staff will conduct the training with the aim of teaching mental noting, a core mindfulness technique to be practiced and employed during neurofeedback. Mental noting is a major component of Vipassana (insight mindfulness meditation); its key principles include: concentration, observing sensory experience,'' not 'efforting', and contentment.Specifically, participants will be taught to mentally label/note whatever sensation is most prominent in their sensory experience from moment to moment (e.g., seeing, hearing, feeling, thinking). Training will be personalized to identify scenarios in which mental noting can be applied in the context of each person's daily life, explaining the goal of using these strategies to manage distress in daily life."

Before the MRI scan, participants will practice mental noting by verbalizing their mental label, with the study clinician providing feedback. Participants will then complete a silent practice of mental noting while viewing simulated neurofeedback. All participants will be trained until they feel competent to use mental noting in the scanner. Study clinicians will show 85% fidelity on the mindfulness training assessment before working with participants and sessions will be recorded and 10% of sessions will be assessed quarterly for fidelity. During active mbNF (6 runs, 2.5 mins each), participants will use mental noting with the aim of controlling the visual feedback; specifically, they will attempt to move the position of the white dot toward the (upper) red circle and away from the (lower) blue circle.

During sham mbNF condition, participants will undergo similar MRI scan procedures. The primary difference in scan procedures is that rather than receiving mbNF, participants will view a visual display (i.e., white dot, red and blue circles) extracted from a previously acquired mbNF session. Thus, the visual display will be independent from brain activity in the sham condition and will simply mirror the stimuli observed by those in the mbNF group. This ensures that participants across groups are viewing equivalent stimuli for the same amount of overall time.