VCU Receives $6M for HERO Study to Enhance mTBI Recovery in Service Members
The Department of Defense will fund The HERO Study: HRV Biofeedback for Enhancing Autonomic Resilience and mTBI (Concussion) Outcomes
A new four-year study co-led by James Burch, Ph.D., a professor in VCU’s School of Public Health, and William Walker, M.D., a professor in VCU’s School of Medicine, will explore a treatment called Heart Rate Variability (HRV) Biofeedback to help veterans and service members suffering from long-term symptoms after a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), also known as a concussion. The research will test HRV Biofeedback as a way to improve symptoms like poor sleep, fatigue, dizziness, and trouble with memory or concentration–common problems that make life difficult for people who have had a concussion.
The treatment works by helping patients control their breathing and heart rate. HRV Biofeedback training allows patients to see how breathing in a certain pattern—five seconds in, five seconds out—impacts their heart rate by monitoring it on a computer screen. Over time, this exercise helps people lower stress and improve heart function. HRV Biofeedback has been shown in other studies to help with symptoms like pain, PTSD, and depression. It hasn’t yet been tested on veterans and service members who have had a concussion.
This study will also compare HRV Biofeedback to current treatments, which focus on educating people about how to manage concussion symptoms. Researchers believe HRV Biofeedback will be more effective because it actively helps the body’s nervous system return to a healthier state. The nervous system controls automatic body functions, like heart rate and digestion, which often get disrupted after a concussion. By learning to control their heart rate, patients can improve their overall health and resiliency of their cardiovascular system.
“What’s really neat is we’re not in this to keep people bound to the medical system,” Burch explains. “When we show people this technique, they can use it whenever they need. Whenever they’re stressed out, at a stoplight, standing in line or just dealing with trauma, they can use this breathing technique.”
One major goal of the study is to find out which patients benefit the most from this treatment. Researchers will look at whether people with multiple concussions, or those who also have PTSD, get better results. They also want to know if women respond differently to the treatment.
If the study is successful, HRV Biofeedback could become a common treatment for people with long-term concussion symptoms. It could give veterans, service members, and civilians a new, low-cost way to improve their health without the need for medicine or surgery. This would also help lower the risk of dementia, which is more common in people with repeated brain injuries. By improving symptoms and helping people regain control over their health, this treatment could make a real difference in their lives.
“We are studying core health principles in this study that should open the door to healthy behavioral changes and evidence-based treatment options,” said Raouf Gharbo, D.O., director of autonomic rehabilitation at VCU School of Medicine. HRV can help improve quality and efficiency of sleep, which impacts a person’s ability to recover, whether it be from a concussion, cancer, long COVID and even emotional health disorders like PTSD, which Gharbo plans to research in future studies.
Joining primary investigators Burch and Walker on the HERO study team are Gharbo; Jennifer Weggen, Ph.D. candidate in VCU’s Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences; David Cifu, M.D., professor in VCU’s School of Medicine; JP Ginsberg, Ph.D., adjunct faculty at Saybrook University; Robert Perera, Ph.D., associate professor in VCU’s School of Public Health; and Clara Dismuke-Greer, Ph.D., of the Health Economics Resource Center, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
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