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NCT Number: NCT06897332

Comparing Brain Cortical Activity in Real and Immersive Virtual Reality Manual Dexterity Tasks

With advances in technology, virtual reality (VR) is increasingly used in various fields, including rehabilitation, motor learning, and neuroscience. Its ability to provide controlled, immersive, and interactive environments makes it a valuable tool for training and assessment. However, despite its growing adoption, limited evidence exists on how cortical activation in VR compares to real-world conditions. Moreover, brain cortical activity during motor tasks, such as manual dexterity tasks, remains underexplored.

This study aims to compare brain cortical activity in real and immersive virtual reality settings during a manual dexterity task. Secondary objectives include:

* Examining the relationship between brain cortical activity and kinematics in both conditions. * Comparing brain cortical activity between hand-tracking and controller-based interactions.

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Key information

Conditions

Brain EEG Manual Dexterity Virtual Reality fNIRS

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

Neuro Musculo Skeletal Lab

Brussels, Brussels Capital, 1200, Belgium

Location contact

Gauthier Everard, PT, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

+32 472 500 158

Gauthier Everard, PT, PhD

SUB_INVESTIGATOR

Thierry Lejeune, MD, PhD

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Age over 18 years old
  • Normal-to-corrected vision
  • Ability to understand simple instructions

Exclusion criteria

  • History of seizure
  • Recent participation (within the last three months) in a study involving a manual dexterity task in immersive virtual reality
  • Neurologic or orthopaedic pathology potentially affecting upper extremity movement

Treatment and study plan

Real-world manual dexterity task

Behavioral

Participants will perform a manual dexterity task involving the displacement of physical cubes

Immersive virtual reality with controllers

Behavioral

Participants will perform a manual dexterity task in an immersive virtual reality environment, requiring them to move virtual cubes using controllers

Immersive virtual reality with hand-tracking

Behavioral

Participants will perform a manual dexterity task in an immersive virtual reality environment, requiring them to move virtual cubes using the hand-tracking technology

Primary outcomes

  1. Brain cortical activity

    Time frame: Baseline (at rest: before task performance) and Day 1 (during each of the three task performances within the single study session)

    Measures of brain cortical activity using EEG/fNIRS

Secondary outcomes

  1. Average speed

    Time frame: Day 1 (during each of the three task performances within the single study session)

    Mean instant velocity of the upper extremity during task performance

  2. Maximal movement speed

    Time frame: Day 1 (during each of the three task performances within the single study session)

    Peak instant velocity of the upper extremity during task performance

  3. Movement smoothness

    Time frame: Day 1 (during each of the three task performances within the single study session)

    Spectral arc length of the normalised instant velocity (SPARC) of the upper extremity during task performance

  4. Variation of velocity

    Time frame: Day 1 (during each of the three task performances within the single study session)

    Coefficient of variation of the instant velocity of the upper extremity during task performance

  5. Average distance between thumb and other fingers

    Time frame: Day 1 (during each of the three task performances within the single study session)

    Mean distance between thumb and other fingers during task performance

  6. Variation of distance between thumb and other fingers

    Time frame: Day 1 (during each of the three task performances within the single study session)

    Coefficient of variation of the distance between thumb and other fingers during task performance

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Gauthier Everard, PT, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

+32 472 500 158

Thérèse Ntabuhashe Bibentyo, Er, PhD student

CONTACT

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc- Université Catholique de Louvain

Other

Collaborators

  • Université Catholique de Louvain

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2025
Study completion
2025
First posted
Mar 26, 2025
Registry last updated
Mar 26, 2025

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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