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Minimally Effective Dosing of Mindfulness Meditation Training

Award Number: R01AT013937
ORGANIZATION: CENTER FOR DRUG EVALUATION AND RESEARCH, NIH
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/02/2026
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 05/31/2031

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Minimally Effective Dosing of Mindfulness Meditation Training - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) have been shown to improve a broad range of mental and physical health outcomes, and in recent years, there has been rapid growth in studies utilizing digital mindfulness apps. Research groups and users now commonly ask how much initial digital mindfulness training dose is needed to improve mindfulness skills and move target attention and stress reduction mechanisms. This study will be the first to rigorously test the minimally effective dosing of digital mindfulness training on early skill development and biobehavioral target mechanisms in a sample of stressed community adults (N=460). Guided by our preliminary studies and a conceptual model that differentiates early attention and equanimity mindfulness skill development, we will randomize participants to 0, 1, 3, 7, 10, or 14 well-matched digital mindfulness dose training sessions. Using our validated digital mindfulness training platform, we will evaluate the effects of these minimal training doses on two task-based mechanistic targets: sustained attention, measured by the Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART), and biological stress buffering, assessed via the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). We will experimentally evaluate what minimal dose of mindfulness training is needed to significantly improve sustained attention on the SART (Aim#1), what minimal dose is needed to significantly reduce cortisol and blood pressure reactivity to the TSST (Aim#2), and we will measure the development of attention monitoring and equanimity mindfulness skills across initial training sessions (Exploratory Aim#3). This research addresses a critical gap in the literature by providing a rigorous evaluation of minimally effective dosing methods for digital MBIs. The findings will (1) help build a new behavioral health intervention dosing science, (2) guide researchers on dosing considerations for the rising wave of digital mindfulness training studies, (3) and help inform millions of digital mindfulness app users who are asking how much initial training they should be doing to experience detectable improvements in their mindfulness skills.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $569,409 )
2026	2026	CARNEGIE-MELLON UNIVERSITY	5000 FORBES AVE	PITTSBURGH	PA	15213	ALLEGHENY	USA	Research and Training in Complementary and Integrative Health	000	1	9/4/2026	NEW	$569,409
														Subtotal = $569,409

Grand Total All Awards = $569,409

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Minimally Effective Dosing of Mindfulness Meditation Training

Award Number: R01AT013937

ORGANIZATION: CENTER FOR DRUG EVALUATION AND RESEARCH, NIH

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/02/2026

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 05/31/2031

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