An official website of the United States governmentSelected Research Results
NCCIH funds a wide variety of research studies, primarily focusing on three areas: mind and body practices, natural products, and pain. We also conduct research at the National Institutes of Health laboratories in Bethesda, Maryland.
This page provides plain language summaries of a few of the studies that NCCIH has supported or conducted. The summaries are ordered by date, with the most recent studies first. For more information, see this full list of published NCCIH-funded research studies in PubMed.
Transcranial Focused Ultrasound Improves the Performance of a Noninvasive Brain-Computer Interface
In a new study from Carnegie Mellon University, volunteers’ ability to type letters with their minds using a noninvasive brain-computer interface increased in response to ultrasound stimulation of a brain area associated with visual motion processing. This research, which was partly funded by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health and is part of the National Institutes of Health Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies® (BRAIN) Initiative, was published in the journal Nature Communications.
June 2024
Service Dog Partnerships May Benefit Military Members and Veterans With Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
A new study suggests that partnering with a trained psychiatric service dog helps lower the severity of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, anxiety, and depression in adults with military-related PTSD. The study, which was recently published in JAMA Network Open, was led by scientists from the University of Arizona, Indiana University School of Medicine, and Roudebush Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health partially funded the research.
June 2024
A Mobile App-Based Mindfulness Intervention for Psychological Distress in Intensive Care Unit Survivors
A new clinical trial tested various ways of delivering a mobile app–based mindfulness intervention for individuals who had symptoms of depression after being treated in an intensive care unit (ICU) for a critical illness. The study showed that the best version of the intervention in terms of effects on psychological distress symptoms, adherence, and feasibility was a version that was fully app based. The study, recently published in JAMA Internal Medicine, was led by scientists at Duke University, Oregon Health & Science University, and University of Colorado (Aurora) and was partially funded by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.
May 2024
Participants in Clinical Trials on Chronic Back or Neck Pain Are Not Representative of the Larger Patient Population
Populations that experience health disparities are frequently underrepresented in spine pain clinical trials, according to an analysis of data from eight randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of spinal manipulation for chronic back or neck pain. Funded by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, this analysis was conducted by researchers from the University of Minnesota and North Dakota State University and was published in the journal BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders.
May 2024
Veterans With Chronic Pain Value Discussions With Health Care Providers About Natural Products
Veterans value discussions with health care providers about natural products (NPs); however, the perception among some veterans that providers are biased against these products negatively affects patient-provider relationships, according to a new study by researchers from the San Francisco VA Health Care System and other collaborating institutions, published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. The findings of this study, which was funded by a collaborative agreement through the National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health and the Office of Dietary Supplements, indicate that providers engaging in conversations about NPs with curiosity and respect can reinforce patient-provider relationships.
April 2024
Multisensory Gamma Stimulation Promotes Glymphatic Clearance of Amyloid in Alzheimer’s Disease Models
A recent study showed that noninvasive Gamma ENtrainment Using Sensory stimuli (GENUS) reduced the accumulation of amyloid in mice models of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) through the brain’s glymphatic system. The study, conducted by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Westlake University in China, and Boston University, was partially funded by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health and published in the journal Nature.
February 2024
Neurons Generate Synchronized Rhythmic Waves in Brain’s Interstitial Fluid To Help Clear Metabolic Waste
A new investigation provides evidence that neurons in the brain act as master organizers for clearing the brain of metabolic waste and that they do so by synchronizing their actions to create large rhythmic waves in the interstitial fluid (ISF) during sleep. The study, recently published in Nature, was conducted by researchers from Washington University in St. Louis and partially funded by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.
February 2024
Benefits of a Single-Session Pain Skills Class Last for 6 Months in People With Chronic Low-Back Pain
A single 2-hour pain relief skills class continues to reduce pain catastrophizing, pain intensity, and pain bothersomeness in people with chronic low-back pain after 6 months and is no less effective than an 8-session cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) program, according to a study from Stanford University, partly funded by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. These results, published in the journal Pain Reports, extend the findings of a 3-month evaluation and show that the effects of the pain skills class don’t deteriorate significantly from 3 to 6 months.
January 2024
Use of Complementary Health Approaches for Pain by U.S. Adults Increased From 2002 to 2022
Over a 20-year period—from 2002 to 2022—U.S. adults not only increased their overall use of complementary health approaches but were also more likely to use complementary health approaches specifically for managing pain.
January 2024
Adding Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) to Methadone Treatment Provides Therapeutic Benefits for People With Opioid Use Disorder and Chronic Pain
According to a recent study, adding a remote group therapy mindfulness program to standard methadone treatment leads to therapeutic benefits in people with opioid use disorder and chronic pain. The study, conducted by researchers at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers School of Public Health, and University of Utah, was funded by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) and published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry.
December 2023