MUSE-S Headband System for Improving Anxiety and Insomnia Among Breast Cancer Survivors

May 29, 2026 updated by: Mayo Clinic

Pilot Study of a Wearable EEG Headband as a Meditation Device for Breast Cancer Survivors

This early phase I trial evaluates the feasibility and impact of a meditation headband system (MUSE-S) for breast cancer survivors. Anxiety and insomnia are among the most common distresses in breast cancer survivors during and after chemotherapy, in part due to the side effects of chemotherapy, fear of cancer coming back, progression of the cancer, and uncertainty of the future. These distresses impair patients' well-being and quality of life (QOL) in general, and their cancer treatment adherence and effectiveness in particular. Meditation has been demonstrated to be an effective management tool of stress and anxiety and is given the highest level of evidence (grade A) in the systematic review-based guidelines by the Society of Integrative Medicine. The portable, interactive, electroencephalographic (EEG) Muse headband guided meditation has been shown to improve fatigue, QOL, and stress in newly diagnosed breast cancer patients. The MUSE-S Headband System may decrease anxiety and insomnia among breast cancer survivors.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To evaluate the frequency of use of meditation (a stress management technique) among breast cancer survivors.

II. To evaluate the feasibility of a wearable EEG headband, MUSE S, together with smartphone or tablet application (app) to guide breast cancer survivors' interactive meditation and sleep support.

III. To measure the impact of interactive meditation and sleep support through MUSE S among breast cancer survivors during or after chemotherapy on improving symptoms of anxiety and insomnia.

OUTLINE:

Patients wear the MUSE S headband to bed every night for 8 weeks and meditate using the MUSE phone app during day hours for at least 5 minutes over 8 weeks.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
20

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Early Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Minnesota
      • Rochester, Minnesota, United States, 55905
        • Recruiting
        • Mayo Clinic in Rochester
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Stacy D. D'Andre, MD

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age between 18-80
  • Breast cancer first diagnosed with stage 1-4 breast cancer in the past 10 years
  • Patients report experiencing anxiety and insomnia both rated > 3 on a 0-10 scale (with 0 indicating none) at the time of enrollment
  • Patients on anti-anxiety/anti-depressant medication must be on stable dose for 1 month prior to study enrollment and must stay on that same dose throughout the trial
  • Has smart phone or tablet
  • Patient willing to use Google-based anonymous email account to sign up for MUSE
  • Be willing to provide informed consent and complete all aspects of the study
  • Have no contraindicating comorbid health condition which would interfere with the proper use of the Muse-S (trademark) system, as determined by the clinical investigators

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Pregnant or breastfeeding individuals
  • Individuals who have used a regular mindfulness practice or received integrative medicine therapy, including acupuncture/acupressure, mindfulness or stress-reduction programs, massage, and/or energy therapies within the past 60 days
  • Currently taking medication for insomnia
  • An exclusionary unstable medical or mental health condition as determined by the patient's oncologist

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Supportive Care (MUSE S headband, meditation)
Patients wear the MUSE S headband to bed every night for 8 weeks and meditate using the MUSE phone app during day hours for at least 5 minutes over 8 weeks.
Other: Survey Administration
Ancillary studies
Other: Electronic Health Record Review
Ancillary studies
Other: Medical Device Usage and Evaluation
Wear MUSE S headband
Procedure: Meditation Therapy
Participate in meditation
Other Names:
  • Meditation

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Frequency of use of meditation
Time Frame: Baseline; 6 weeks
Assessed by the number of times participant uses the Muse™ S Headband system and app. Data will be downloaded from the Muse Dashboard to the study team.
Baseline; 6 weeks
Feasibility of a wearable electroencephalographic (EEG) headband (Muse™ S Headband)
Time Frame: 6 weeks
Assessed by reviewing usage data and by post-study satisfaction questionnaire adapted from the Was it Worth it Questionnaire (WIWI) asking the patient if the entire research experience, including the intervention, was worth it for them. The WIWI questionnaire includes 3 items: (item 1) Was it worthwhile for you to receive the cancer treatment given in this study? (item 2) If you had to do it over again, would you choose to have this cancer treatment? and (item 3) Would you recommend this cancer treatment to others? Questions are answered with yes, uncertain, or no.
6 weeks
Impact of interactive meditation and sleep support through the Muse-S™ system
Time Frame: Baseline; 6 weeks
Assessed by a 3-section questionnaire (sleep, quality of life, and anxiety) with a variety of questions answered by multiple choice (e.g., very well, somewhat well, not very well, not well at all) or answered on a scale of 1-10 where 1=as bad as it can band and 10=as good as it can be.
Baseline; 6 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Mayo Clinic

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Stacy D. D'Andre, MD, Mayo Clinic in Rochester

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
January 8, 2024

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
January 31, 2029

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
January 31, 2029

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
February 15, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
February 22, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
February 23, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
June 2, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
May 29, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 23-006870 (Mayo Clinic Institutional Review Board)
  • NCI-2024-01019 (Registry Identifier: CTRP (Clinical Trial Reporting Program))

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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