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OpenTrials
Active, Not Recruiting

NCT Number: NCT06124339

Brain Health Virtual Reality Study

The Interventions for Brain Health Virtual Reality Study is a NIH-funded clinical research trial at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) Health under the supervision of the study principal investigator Dr. Judy Pa. The overarching goal of this trial is to use a novel virtual reality (VR) based intervention that simultaneously engages physical and cognitive activity aimed at improving brain health and cognition in older adults. The investigators will compare 3 types of interventions: physical activity, VR cognitive activity, and combined VR physical and cognitive activity over 16 weeks to evaluate physical and brain health changes.

Active, Not Recruiting

This study is active but is not currently recruiting participants.

Key information

Conditions

Aging Aging Problems Behavior Cognition Disorders Cognition Disorders in Old Age Cognitive Change Cognitive Decline Cognitive Dysfunction Memory Disorder, Spatial Memory Disorders Memory Disorders in Old Age Memory Impairment Memory Loss Mental Disorders Mild Cognitive Impairment Motor Activity Nervous System Diseases Neurobehavioral Manifestations Neurocognitive Disorders Neurologic Manifestations Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms

Age range

50 year–85 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

University of California, San Diego

San Diego, California, 92122, United States

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • 50-85 years of age
  • Fluent in English
  • Can safely ride a stationary bike

Exclusion criteria

  • Dementia
  • History of a neurological disorder
  • Severe sensory deficits
  • Inability to perform intervention (e.g., inability to cycle safely)
  • Contraindications to MRI scan (e.g., pacemaker)
  • Fear of needles/ blood
  • Prior history of fainting due to sight of needles of blood

Treatment and study plan

Physical activity

Behavioral

There will be three sessions a week over the course of 16 weeks.

Cognitive Activity (VR)

Behavioral

There will be three sessions a week over the course of 16 weeks.

Physical and Cognitive Activity

Behavioral

There will be three sessions a week over the course of 16 weeks.

Primary outcomes

  1. MST memory performance

    Time frame: 16 Weeks

    With the study's primary focus on hippocampal function, we will use the Mnemonic Separation Task (MST), a hippocampus-dependent discrimination test of similar objects, as our primary cognitive outcome. The MST is a memory task designed to heavily tax memory processes for making fine discriminations between highly similar objects or unrelated objects.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of California, San Diego

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Interventions to Promote Brain Health Virtual Reality Study

Important dates

Study start
2023
Primary completion
2028
Study completion
2029
First posted
Nov 9, 2023
Registry last updated
Jul 15, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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