Recruiting

Virtual Reality

Sponsor:

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Code:

NCT07169760

Conditions

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 25

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

Meta Quest 3 VR Headset with noise cancelling headphones

Study Details

Brief summary:

The goal of this larger parallel group randomized trial is to test the impact of a virtual reality program for improving the ability of emerging adults (age 18-25) with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to stay focused while completing homework and studying. This study compares the impact of using a virtual reality headset to using a virtual reality headset while also receiving feedback about levels of focus to a control group. The main question is whether participants demonstrate significantly improved concentration while completing homework and studying in virtual reality and whether they enjoy and prefer working in a virtual reality environment. Concentration is measured both through participant report and also using keyboard and mouse click data to assess work productivity objectively.

Conditions

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Study ID

NCT07169760

Start date

Sep 9, 2025

Status verified date

Jan, 2026

Completion date

Dec, 2030

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Sep, 2030

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 25

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Participants must meet DSM-5 criteria for ADHD
  • Between the ages of 18 and 25
  • Given high rates of comorbidities in college students with ADHD, participants who meet criteria for ODD, anxiety or depressive disorders on the diagnostic interview are not excluded
  • Participants must have an item mean score of >2.0 (often or very often) on the homework task specific version of the Adult Concentration Index (ACI), ensuring the presence of a problem in the mechanism being targeted in this study
  • The participant has to endorse a total of at least 5 symptoms in the ADHD inattention domain as currently present and impairing and at least 6 symptoms in the ADHD inattention domain as present and impairing during childhood
  • To rule out exclusionary conditions and/or to assess for the presence of comorbid conditions, psychological functioning will be assessed using the DSM-5 version of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM Disorders (SCID-5-RV)

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Whether primary or not, the comorbid presence of several other conditions will be exclusionary.This includes autism spectrum disorders, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, active substance abuse, and other psychiatric conditions whose treatment precludes participation in the study.
  • Students who do not meet criteria for ADHD are not eligible
  • Students who are not in the specified age range are also not eligible to participate
  • Students with a history of seizures are not eligible to participate given the use of VR

Study Design

Enrollment

252 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Parallel Assignment

Primary purpose

Treatment

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

active comparator: VR Passthrough

Participants in this condition wear the same VR headset as participants in the in the other arms. However, they see directly through to their laptop and are not emersed in the virtual world.

experimental: Virtual Reality

Participants in this condition wear the virtual reality headset. They are emersed in a virtual world that looks like a cabin room with windows. They are sitting at a desk and can see their laptop screen as part of the virtual world.

experimental: Virtual Reality + Feedback

Participants in this condition wear the virtual reality headset. They are emersed in a virtual world that looks like a cabin room with windows. They are sitting at a desk and can see their laptop screen as part of the virtual world. The program tracks their keyboard and mouse click data to assess how consistently they are working. A stoplight in the virtual environment is green when they are working consistently and turns red when the not.

Interventions

Meta Quest 3 VR Headset with noise cancelling headphones

Wearing the headset and headphones removes all outside audio and visual distractions. One of the groups receives frequent and consistent feedback about work productivity similar to behavioral interventions for ADHD.

Primary outcome measure

  • Concentration [ Time Frame: Measured at baseline assessment and immediately after each of the 12 VR intervention sessions (taking place over an estimated 2 weeks-1 month) ]
  • On-task Behavior [ Time Frame: Measured throughout the 60-minute duration of each of the 12 VR intervention sessions (taking place over an estimated 2 weeks-1 month) ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Joshua M Langberg, PhD

(848) 445-2000jl3079@gsapp.rutgers.edu

Sophia R Frontale, MPS

3155062647sf924@gsapp.rutgers.edu

Locations

Louisiana State University

Recruiting

Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States, 70802

Contacts

David C Shepherd, PhD

225-578-3202dshepherd@lsu.edu

Rutgers University - New Brunswick

Recruiting

New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States, 08854

Contacts

Joshua M Langberg, PhD

803-429-1838jl3079@gsapp.rutgers.edu

Sophia R Frontale, MPS

3155062647sf924@gsapp.rutgers.edu

Principal Investigator:

Joshua M Langberg, PhD

More Information

Sponsor

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

Last update posted

Jan 28, 2026

Last verified

Jan, 2026

Keywords

  • ADHD
  • Virtual reality

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-10. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey on 2026-01-28.