Nature as Medicine for the Healing Brain: Utilization of a Nature-based Exposure Intervention for Decreasing Concussion Recovery Timeline and Symptom Load

Starting soon · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Concussion (Diagnosis)

In brief

The overall goal of this research is to provide pilot data that informs and drives a larger scale research project, incorporating multiple contemporary measurement modalities, to understand the utility and pathological mechanisms by which exposure to nature-based settings may aid in recovery time and symptom relief of individuals suffering from concussion, and decrease their risk of developing Persistent Post-Concussion Syndrome (PPCS). We hypothesize that successful adherence to a nature-based exposure therapy intervention program will decrease recovery time and severity of symptom trajectory of concussion, as measured through multimodal assessments of brain structural and functional integrity.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT07642739

Run by

Penn State University

People needed

24

Starts

2026-07-01

Expected to finish

2027-08-01

Last updated by the study team

2026-06-11

Who can join

Age: 14 and older, up to 35. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Require that any participant is 14-35 years old
• Required that any participant under 18 years old can be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian for the duration of the study
• Required that participants be English speakers
• Required that persons be able to provide consent for themselves
• Required that the participant must have suffered a clinically diagnoses concussion 5 days or less prior to the first study visit
• Concussion must have been diagnosed by a licensed clinical medicine professional.
• No additional professional treatment modalities outside of normal clinical concussion recovery recommendations may have been received prior to study participation. These include participation in a separate concussion rehabilitation study, cognitive behavioral therapies, vestibule-ocular therapies (balance), in-patient physical therapy, consumption of stimulant medication, and chiropractic manipulation.
• Injury must have been diagnosed as a concussion or mild-traumatic brain injury. Participant must not have been diagnosed with of severe traumatic brain injury, hematoma, fractured skull or facial bones, or comatose.

You may not qualify if…

• Exclude persons under 14 years old or over 35 years old
• Exclude persons taking anti-inflammatory drugs (both prescription and OTC), or those who will have taken them within 24 hours prior to Visit 1
• Exclude smokers and former smokers, as defined by CDC. (Anyone who smokes daily or who has smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their lifetime)
• Those with presence of an active infection (including a dental infection)
• Exclude persons who have migraines
• Exclude persons taking mood stabilizer medications
• Exclude persons who have consumed alcohol within 48 hours prior to study participation, participants will be asked this by one of the study members through the exclusion criteria screening form when they first contact the study
• Exclude persons who are pregnant.

Where it is running

• Recreation Building — University Park, Pennsylvania, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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