Acute Effects of a Single-Session Body Awareness Intervention on Cortical Activity and Interoceptive Accuracy

NCT07736365 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: Amasya Uni-BBAT
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 84
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

This study will examine the immediate (acute) effects of a single, 30-minute body awareness session on brain activity and interoceptive accuracy in healthy young adults aged 18-25. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: an intervention group, which will complete a structured body awareness exercise based on Basic Body Awareness Therapy, or a control group, which will rest quietly for the same amount of time without any specific instructions. Before and after the session, brain activity will be recorded using a portable, 8-channel EEG device, and interoceptive accuracy will be measured with a heartbeat perception task, in which participants try to count their own heartbeats without checking their pulse. The main goal is to determine whether a single body awareness session produces measurable changes in EEG brain wave patterns (theta, alpha, beta, and gamma bands) and in the accuracy of heartbeat perception, and whether these two types of change are related to each other.

Conditions

Healthy Volunteers - Male and Female

Keywords

body awareness; basic body awareness therapy; interoception; EEG; cortical activity; heartbeat perception

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (4)

• Change in EEG Theta Band Power

  Absolute power (µV²) in the theta frequency band (4-8 Hz), calculated from EEG recordings before and after the body awareness intervention.

  Immediately before vs. immediately after the ~30-minute session

• Change in EEG Alpha Band Power

  Absolute power (µV²) in the alpha frequency band (8-13 Hz), calculated from EEG recordings before and after the body awareness intervention.

  Immediately before vs. immediately after the ~30-minute session

• Change in EEG Beta Band Power

  Absolute power (µV²) in the beta frequency band (13-30 Hz), calculated from EEG recordings before and after the body awareness intervention.

  Immediately before vs. immediately after the ~30-minute session

• Change in EEG Gamma Band Power

  Absolute power (µV²) in the gamma frequency band (30-45 Hz), calculated from EEG recordings before and after the body awareness intervention.

  Immediately before vs. immediately after the ~30-minute session

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Change in interoceptive accuracy score

  Immediately before vs. immediately after the ~30-minute session

Other Outcomes (4)

• Correlation Between Change in EEG Theta Band Power and Change in Interoceptive Accuracy Score

  Assessed using pre-post change scores from the same ~30-minute session

• Correlation Between Change in EEG Alpha Band Power and Change in Interoceptive Accuracy Score

  Assessed using pre-post change scores from the same ~30-minute session

• Correlation Between Change in EEG Beta Band Power and Change in Interoceptive Accuracy Score

  Assessed using pre-post change scores from the same ~30-minute session

Study Arms (2)

Basic Body Awareness Therapy Intervention Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in this arm will receive a single, approximately 30-minute structured session based on Basic Body Awareness Therapy principles, guided by a physiotherapist or researcher trained in body awareness applications. The session includes preparatory orientation, supine body scanning and contact awareness, breath awareness, slow symmetrical movement awareness, seated midline and postural awareness, standing weight-shift awareness, and a closing integration period.

Other: Basic Body Awareness Therapy Intervention

No Intervention/Sham Comparator: Control (Quiet Rest)

SHAM COMPARATOR

Participants in this arm will undergo a quiet/neutral resting session of the same duration and in the same environment as the intervention group, without receiving any body-awareness-related instructions, guidance, breathing exercises, or movement tasks. This arm serves to control for effects attributable to time, environment, rest, or eye closure alone.

Other: No Intervention/Sham Comparator

Interventions

Basic Body Awareness Therapy Intervention OTHER

A single \~30-minute body awareness session delivered in a quiet, well-ventilated room with minimal distraction. The session follows a structured sequence of low-intensity, pain-free, non-strenuous body awareness exercises performed in supine, sitting, and standing positions, guided verbally by a trained physiotherapist or researcher. The session focuses on conscious awareness of posture, contact points, breathing, and movement quality rather than physical performance, strength, or flexibility. Participants are instructed to move without forcing and to report any pain, dizziness, or discomfort during the session.

Basic Body Awareness Therapy Intervention Group

No Intervention/Sham Comparator OTHER

A single \~30-minute quiet resting session delivered in the same room and under the same environmental conditions as the intervention session. Participants will be asked to remain in a comfortable seated or supine position, close their eyes or fix their gaze on a stationary point, and rest quietly for the full duration. No specific breathing, body awareness, or movement instructions will be given. Participants will be informed that they may notify the researcher if they experience any discomfort.

No Intervention/Sham Comparator: Control (Quiet Rest)

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 25 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Age 18-25 years
• Self-reported healthy status
• Literate in Turkish
• Willing and able to provide written informed consent

You may not qualify if:

• Active epilepsy or seizure history
• Diagnosed psychiatric disorder
• Neurological disorder
• Cardiac arrhythmia, pacemaker, heart disease
• Active use of psychotropic, beta-blocker, anticholinergic, or antihistamine medication
• Prior participation in Basic Body Awareness Therapy
• Pregnancy
• Active scalp lesion or dermatological pathology
• Neurological/psychiatric medication affecting alertness or attention
• Alcohol consumption in the last 24 hours
• Excessive caffeine intake on the day of measurement
• Acute pain, fever, infection, or other condition that could affect measurement

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Ertugrul Deniz Kose: lead

Related Publications (12)

• Bravo C, Skjaerven LH, Espart A, Guitard Sein-Echaluce L, Catalan-Matamoros D. Basic Body Awareness Therapy in patients suffering from fibromyalgia: A randomized clinical trial. Physiother Theory Pract. 2019 Oct;35(10):919-929. doi: 10.1080/09593985.2018.1467520. Epub 2018 May 3.

  PMID: 29723080 BACKGROUND

• Lundvik Gyllensten, A., Hansson, L., & Ekdahl, C. (2003). Outcome of Basic Body Awareness Therapy. A randomized controlled study of patients in psychiatric outpatient care. Advances in Physiotherapy, 5(4), 179-190. https://doi.org/10.1080/14038109310012061

  BACKGROUND

• Schulz KF, Altman DG, Moher D; CONSORT Group. CONSORT 2010 statement: updated guidelines for reporting parallel group randomised trials. BMJ. 2010 Mar 23;340:c332. doi: 10.1136/bmj.c332.

  PMID: 20332509 BACKGROUND

• Schandry R. Heart beat perception and emotional experience. Psychophysiology. 1981 Jul;18(4):483-8. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-8986.1981.tb02486.x. No abstract available.

  PMID: 7267933 BACKGROUND

• Petzschner FH, Weber LA, Wellstein KV, Paolini G, Do CT, Stephan KE. Focus of attention modulates the heartbeat evoked potential. Neuroimage. 2019 Feb 1;186:595-606. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.11.037. Epub 2018 Nov 22.

  PMID: 30472370 BACKGROUND

• Mehling WE, Price C, Daubenmier JJ, Acree M, Bartmess E, Stewart A. The Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA). PLoS One. 2012;7(11):e48230. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0048230. Epub 2012 Nov 1.

  PMID: 23133619 BACKGROUND

• Lutz A, Slagter HA, Dunne JD, Davidson RJ. Attention regulation and monitoring in meditation. Trends Cogn Sci. 2008 Apr;12(4):163-9. doi: 10.1016/j.tics.2008.01.005. Epub 2008 Mar 10.

  PMID: 18329323 BACKGROUND

• Lomas T, Ivtzan I, Fu CH. A systematic review of the neurophysiology of mindfulness on EEG oscillations. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2015 Oct;57:401-10. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2015.09.018. Epub 2015 Oct 9.

  PMID: 26441373 BACKGROUND

• Garfinkel SN, Seth AK, Barrett AB, Suzuki K, Critchley HD. Knowing your own heart: distinguishing interoceptive accuracy from interoceptive awareness. Biol Psychol. 2015 Jan;104:65-74. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2014.11.004. Epub 2014 Nov 20.

  PMID: 25451381 BACKGROUND

• Farb N, Daubenmier J, Price CJ, Gard T, Kerr C, Dunn BD, Klein AC, Paulus MP, Mehling WE. Interoception, contemplative practice, and health. Front Psychol. 2015 Jun 9;6:763. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00763. eCollection 2015.

  PMID: 26106345 BACKGROUND

• Coll MP, Hobson H, Bird G, Murphy J. Systematic review and meta-analysis of the relationship between the heartbeat-evoked potential and interoception. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2021 Mar;122:190-200. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.12.012. Epub 2021 Jan 13.

  PMID: 33450331 BACKGROUND

• Cahn BR, Polich J. Meditation states and traits: EEG, ERP, and neuroimaging studies. Psychol Bull. 2006 Mar;132(2):180-211. doi: 10.1037/0033-2909.132.2.180.

  PMID: 16536641 BACKGROUND

Study Officials

• Ertuğrul Deniz Köse, Ph.D

  Amasya University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Ertuğrul Deniz Köse, Ph.D

CONTACT

+905056740998; ertugrul.kose@amasya.edu.tr

Eylem KÜÇÜK, Ph.D

CONTACT

+905067025859; eylem.kucuk@amasya.edu.tr

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Masking Details: Participants and the person delivering the intervention/control session cannot be blinded to group assignment due to the nature of the intervention. However, outcome assessors - specifically, the researchers responsible for EEG signal preprocessing, feature extraction, and interoceptive accuracy scoring - will be blinded to group allocation. Group codes will be masked during data analysis to minimize assessment and analytic bias.
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Assist. Prof. Dr.

Model Details: Participants will be randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to one of two parallel groups: an intervention group receiving a single structured body awareness session, or a control group receiving a quiet/neutral resting session of equal duration. Both groups will undergo identical pre- and post-session EEG recordings and interoceptive accuracy assessments, allowing within-group (pre-post) and between-group comparisons of change.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 17, 2026
• First Posted: July 30, 2026
• Study Start (Estimated): September 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): August 31, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): March 31, 2028
• Last Updated: July 30, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-07

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share