Virtual Reality and Biofeedback for Adolescents With Chronic Dizziness

Conditions

• Chronic Dizziness
• Persistent Postural Perceptual Dizziness
• Vestibular Migraine

Eligibility Criteria

Sex

ALL

Age

13 Years - 25 Years

Healthy Volunteers

Not accepted

Interventions

• Virtual Reality — DEVICE
  Application of a virtual reality headset and experience in a virtual realty environment in addition to the standard-of-care biofeedback, systematic desensitization exposure response prevention, and cognitive behavioral therapy.

Study Details

Both persistent postural-perceptual dizziness (PPPD) and vestibular migraine (VM) are common diagnoses in patients presenting to physicians for evaluation of vestibular symptoms such as dizziness and vertigo. Although they are most often described in the adult population, they are also common in children and adolescents with dizziness. Chronic dizziness profoundly affects quality of life, often keeping children out of school and inhibiting their participation in the normal activities of childhood and adolescence. Overall, chronic dizziness is suspected to be due in large part to a "rewiring" of the brain that alters how cues related to balance and orientation are processed, with overreliance on visual inputs to maintain balance and equilibrium being a common development. Thus, chronic dizziness, especially that which is due to PPPD, is often caused by visual triggers. A multi-modal approach is often taken to treat chronic dizziness, attempting to recalibrate this maladaptive "rewiring" and return the sensory system to normal function. Given the role that visual inputs play in developing and perpetuating chronic dizziness, habituation to visual stimuli should be a significant component to treatment. Treatments often include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), systematic desensitization exposure response prevention (SDERP), and biofeedback therapy (BFB). However, these visually provoked symptoms are often resistant to treatment. One reason for this may be that visual stimuli are difficult to replicate in the clinic or office. One way to address this gap in treatment is through virtual reality (VR) technology, which immerses patients in realistic visual environments. VR has not been explicitly described in the treatment of PPPD or chronic dizziness, but it has been piloted, and shown to be effective, in the rehabilitation of peripheral vestibular dysfunction. This study aims to integrate VR into the current PPPD/chronic dizziness techniques of CBT, SDERP, and BFB. The investigators will use a commercially available VR headset, which enables the use of VR in the office setting in a relatively low-cost form of VR technology. This study will evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of VR in conjunction with CBT, SDERP, and BFB to investigate if VR technology enhances previously established effective treatments to reduce chronic dizziness and PPPD.

Key Dates

Start date

Mar 31, 2026

Status verified

Mar 2026

Primary completion

Mar 31, 2027

Completion

May 31, 2027

Study Design

Enrollment

12 participants (estimated)

Allocation

NA

Intervention model

SINGLE_GROUP

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Arms

• Experimental: VR in conjunction with BFB, SDERP, and CBT
  This group will undergo virtual reality exercises in conjunction with the standard-of-care biofeedback, systematic desensitization exposure response prevention, and cognitive behavioral therapy.

Primary Outcome Measure

Dizziness Handicap Inventory [ Time Frame: 1 year ]

Central Contacts

• Jacob R Brodsky, MD
  781-216-2849
  [email protected]
• Kyle K Pandiscio, BS
  781-216-1633
  [email protected]

Locations (1)

Find similar trials in Waltham, MA

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