Virtual Reality Attention Management

Part of paid clinical trials in Sacramento, California.

Sponsor
University of California, Davis
Study ID
NCT03221244
Status
Recruiting
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Conditions

Eligibility Criteria

Sex
ALL
Age
8 Years - 12 Years
Healthy Volunteers
Not accepted

Interventions

  • VR Treatment — DEVICE
    Distractors
  • VR Active Control — DEVICE
    No distractors

Study Details

Problems with distraction are widespread in the 21st century, but for people with developmental delays or behavioral challenges they can have more damaging effects. For example, susceptibility to distraction is associated with worse school and social performance, lower high school graduation rates, and increased incidence of serious accidents. The investigators' goal is to improve understanding of distractibility and develop a targeted treatment. The proposed intervention is based on models of habituation, which is a term that means reduced physiological and emotional response to a stimulus (e.g. moving object, or loud noise, etc.) as it is seen repeatedly. The investigators use virtual reality technology to show study participants distracting stimuli repeatedly in a virtual classroom setting, and their hypothesis states that participants will improve attention in the face of distraction by training with this technology intervention. The virtual classroom setting is especially relevant for children who have significant challenges with distractibility, such as children with ADHD. This intervention will likely be effective in helping individuals with other clinical disorders and perhaps the general population as well.

Key Dates

Start date
Jun 2, 2016
Status verified
Jul 2025
Primary completion
Sep 2, 2026
Completion
Jul 2, 2027

Study Design

Enrollment
50 participants (estimated)
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT

Arms

  • Experimental: VR Treatment
    The "VR distractor condition" is an adaptive training, experimental treatment. Participants will wear a headset VR system programmed to simulate a virtual classroom. They will be asked to perform computer tests of math, attention, or working memory in the virtual reality context. Distractors will be presented intermittently throughout the test session. During training sessions, distractor saliency and frequency will increase or decrease based on performance on the tests. 25 sessions should be completed in approximately 5-7 weeks. In-home VR training sessions will each be about 20-30 minutes in length. The investigators expect a decrease in distraction after adaptive distractor exposure in the VR classroom.
  • Active Comparator: VR Active Control
    The "VR classroom with no distractors presented" is an active control group. This group will undergo the same training regimen, only their virtual classroom environment will not contain adaptive distractors. Participants will wear a headset VR system programmed to simulate a virtual classroom. They will be asked to perform computer tests of math, attention, or working memory in the virtual reality context. 25 sessions should be completed in approximately 5-7 weeks. In-home VR training sessions will each be about 20-30 minutes in length. The investigators expect no change in response to distraction in the ADHD group after control exposure to the VR classroom.

Primary Outcome Measure

Decrease in the amount of eye movements toward the distractors and/or shorter duration of fixation on distractors. [ Time Frame: 5-7 weeks ]

Central Contacts

Locations (1)

FacilityCityStateZIPSite coordinators
UC Davis MIND InstituteSacramentoCalifornia95817
Juan Ramos, BS
[email protected]
916 703 0294
Shannon Hoffman, DPT
[email protected]
916 703 0294
Julie B Schweitzer, PhD (PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR)
Joy Geng, PhD (SUB_INVESTIGATOR)

Find similar trials in Sacramento, CA

By condition
ADHD
By specialty
PsychiatryMental healthBehavioral health
By research site
UC Davis MIND Institute· Sacramento, CA

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