On August 27, 2026, the Tiny Blue Dot Foundation announced $9 million in funding for 11 new research projects [1]. One of these grants was awarded to UC San Diego for a randomized clinical trial that will evaluate Neuromind in adolescents living with chronic pain [2]. The study is led by Dr. Fadel Zeidan, Professor of Anesthesiology at UC San Diego and a member of Neuromind’s scientific committee, with Dr. Pritha Dalal as co-investigator. Neuromind supports the project by providing the VR-EEG neurofeedback devices used in the trial. For our team, this is an important milestone: an independent foundation has chosen to fund rigorous research on our closed-loop approach, in a population that urgently needs better options.
Tiny Blue Dot Foundation funds a UC San Diego trial using Neuromind for pediatric chronic pain
The Tiny Blue Dot Foundation awarded UC San Diego a grant to test Neuromind’s VR-EEG neurofeedback in adolescents with chronic pain, led by Fadel Zeidan.
Overview.
Key takeaways.
The Tiny Blue Dot Foundation selected 11 projects through a competitive call for proposals, bringing its total to 45 funded research projects since 2023 [1].
The grant was awarded to UC San Diego. Neuromind provides the devices for the trial.
The project will evaluate Neuromind, which combines immersive virtual reality with real-time EEG neurofeedback, in adolescents aged 13 to 18 with chronic functional pain [2].
The trial is randomized, double-blind and active-controlled, and will include 46 participants [2].
Beyond pain relief, the researchers will examine whether changes in the Default Mode Network (DMN) explain how the intervention works [2].
The project is led by Fadel Zeidan, whose research focuses on the brain mechanisms of mindfulness-based pain relief [3].
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Who is the Tiny Blue Dot Foundation?
A foundation dedicated to the science of perception.
The Tiny Blue Dot Foundation supports empirical research at the intersection of neuroscience, psychology and mental health [1]. Its work is organised around the Perception Box framework, developed by co-founder Elizabeth R. Koch. The framework proposes that beliefs, past experiences and cognitive schemas shape how each person interprets themselves, other people and the world. The Foundation’s scientific programme is led by its Chief Scientist, neuroscientist Christof Koch, known for his work on consciousness.
A fourth round focused on young people.
This is the Foundation’s fourth funding round, after three rounds in 2023, 2024 and 2025 [1]. The 2026 cohort includes institutions in the United States, Australia, Great Britain and the Netherlands, such as Stanford University, the University of Cambridge, Brown University and UCLA. Several projects focus on adolescents and young adults, a period when patterns of emotion, identity and perception are still developing.
Among the themes funded this year, the Foundation highlights technology-enabled approaches, including virtual reality and EEG neurofeedback [1]. The UC San Diego project sits directly within that theme.
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Why pediatric chronic pain?
Pain that persists without clear ongoing damage.
Many children and adolescents live with chronic pain conditions such as Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) or Amplified Musculoskeletal Pain Syndrome (AMPS). In these conditions, pain and distress can persist even when there is no clear ongoing physical damage [1]. Current treatments often rely on medication, which may bring limited relief or cause unwanted side effects.
The role of brain networks.
The project builds on a brain-based view of chronic pain. According to the study description, these syndromes are sustained by dysregulated large-scale brain networks, in particular hyperactivity within the Default Mode Network [2]. The DMN is involved in self-referential thinking and mind-wandering. When it is overactive, it can sustain rumination and heightened sensitivity to pain.
Mindfulness practice is known to help regulate these states, and it has been studied extensively for pain relief [3]. However, conventional mindfulness training can be difficult to access for young people who are already in significant distress [2]. It asks for sustained attention, regular practice and a degree of conscious effort that may be out of reach when pain is intense.
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How will Neuromind be used in the study?
A closed loop between the brain and the virtual world.
Neuromind combines a VR headset with EEG sensors that measure the brain’s electrical activity in real time. Participants explore immersive, calming virtual environments. When their brain activity shifts toward a more relaxed and focused state, similar to meditation, the environment responds immediately and reinforces that pattern [1].
Rather than relying on meditation instructions, the approach helps young people implicitly develop self-regulation skills through interactive exploration [1]. You can read more about this combination in our article on why we combine neurofeedback and VR.
Study design.
| Parameter | Details |
|---|---|
| Design | Randomized, double-blind, active-controlled trial |
| Participants | 46 adolescents aged 13 to 18 with chronic functional pain |
| Intervention | Four 20-minute sessions of Neuromind (real-time EEG-derived arousal feedback) |
| Control | Four 20-minute sessions of the same VR experience without neurofeedback |
| Primary outcome | Pain intensity, measured on a Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) |
| Secondary outcomes | Depression, anxiety and mindfulness |
| Exploratory analyses | EEG-derived arousal and DMN connectivity (alpha coherence between the posterior cingulate cortex and the medial prefrontal cortex) |
Source: Tiny Blue Dot Foundation project description [2].
The active control is an important design choice. Because both groups receive the same immersive VR, the trial can isolate the specific contribution of real-time neurofeedback, beyond the relaxing effect of virtual reality alone.
Looking for mechanisms, not only outcomes.
The study goes beyond asking whether pain decreases. The researchers will test whether clinical improvements are mediated by normalised DMN activity [2]. If they are, the EEG measures collected during the sessions could become neurophysiological biomarkers that help predict which patients are most likely to respond.
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What do we already know?
Earlier results in healthy volunteers.
The project builds on earlier results summarised in the study description [2]. In healthy volunteers, Neuromind reduced DMN connectivity compared with sham VR, and these reductions predicted greater tranquility and attentional stability.
This finding echoes the results we presented at the Society for Neuroscience 2025 meeting, from a double-blind crossover study with 31 healthy adults. You can read more in our article on our DMN neuromodulation research at SfN25 and UC San Diego.
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Fadel Zeidan: a long-standing scientific partner
A researcher on the brain mechanisms of mindfulness.
Dr. Fadel Zeidan is a Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology at UC San Diego, within the Center for Pain Medicine, and Director of the Pain Health and Mindfulness Laboratory [4]. He is also the inaugural Endowed Professor of UC San Diego’s Sanford Institute for Empathy and Compassion, and Co-Founder and Director of Neuroscience at the UC San Diego Center for Psychedelic Research [4]. His research focuses on the brain mechanisms through which mindfulness meditation reduces pain [3].
He is a member of Neuromind’s scientific committee, where he supports the scientific direction of our work on the Default Mode Network and pain.
Our collaboration with his team is not new. In November 2025, Neuromind presented its research at the UC San Diego Pain and Neuroscience Symposium, organised by Fadel Zeidan. This grant is a natural continuation of that work: moving from mechanistic studies in healthy adults to a controlled clinical trial in a vulnerable population.
"As a Neuroscientist that has been studying the neuroscience of meditation on pain for over 25 years I am beyond excited for this new award from the Tiny Blue Dot foundation to investigate how a real-time EEG VR technology can alleviate paediatric chronic pain. Mindfulness meditation can be difficult to practice as a youngster suffering from chronic pain, this technology can provide a user friendly approach to cultivating mindfulness state in a user friendly fashion"
Dr. Fadel Zeidan, Professor of Anesthesiology, UC San Diego
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Neuromind’s role in the study
Providing the VR-EEG devices.
UC San Diego is the grant recipient and leads the study. Neuromind contributes by providing the VR-EEG neurofeedback devices used in the trial, including the headset with integrated EEG sensors and the closed-loop software that adapts the virtual environment in real time.
"This is a major step for the development and the validation of Neuromind for patients. We are deeply grateful to the Tiny Blue Dot Foundation for placing their trust in our technology and in our scientific approach, and we are proud to strengthen our collaboration with UC San Diego."
Malo Louvigné, CTO and Co-founder, Neuromind
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Why this matters for Neuromind
Three reasons.
This grant matters to us for three reasons:
Independent recognition. UC San Diego’s project using Neuromind was selected through the Foundation’s competitive call for proposals, alongside teams from leading institutions around the world.
A population with unmet needs. Adolescents with chronic pain have few non-pharmacological options that are both engaging and scalable.
A precision neuroscience approach. By linking clinical outcomes to measurable brain activity, the study will help us understand for whom and why Neuromind works.
As the study description puts it, the project aims to advance "scalable digital therapeutics for medically vulnerable youth" [2]. That is exactly the direction we want to take our platform. You can learn more about how Neuromind approaches pain in our article on the best therapies for chronic pain.
The Tiny Blue Dot Foundation is a research foundation that funds empirical studies on perception, consciousness and mental health. Its research programme is built around the Perception Box framework and led by Chief Scientist Christof Koch.
References
[1] Tiny Blue Dot Foundation. Tiny Blue Dot Foundation Awards $9M For 11 New Research Grants Exploring the Science of the Perception Box. PR Newswire, August 27, 2026.
[2] Tiny Blue Dot Foundation. A Closed-Loop Virtual Reality-EEG Neurofeedback Mindfulness Intervention for Pediatric Chronic Pain and Distress.
[3] Zeidan F, Vago DR. Mindfulness meditation-based pain relief: a mechanistic account. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2016 Jun;1373(1):114-27. doi: 10.1111/nyas.13153. PMID: 27398643; PMCID: PMC4941786.
[4] UC San Diego Sanford Institute for Empathy and Compassion. Fadel Zeidan, PhD.
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