Recruiting
Phase 2

eVR-RT vs. VR-MT

Sponsor:

UCLA

Code:

NCT07219875

Conditions

Positive Affect

Depression

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

Virtual Reality-Reward Training (VR-RT)

Virtual Reality-Memory Training (VR-MT)

Study Details

Brief summary:

The purpose of this study is to compare the effects of Virtual Reality-Reward Training (VR-RT) with an active control condition, Virtual Reality-Memory Training (VR-MT), on positive affect and other clinical symptoms.

VR-Reward Training is a novel intervention aimed at enhancing savoring of positive experiences among individuals with depression and low positive affect through guided imaginal recounting following immersion in positive VR experiences. The current study tests an enhanced version of this training using improved virtual reality technology.

Target enrollment is 80 participants with low positive affect, depression, and impaired functioning, who are at least 18 years old, who will be randomly assigned to 7 weeks of either Virtual Reality-Reward Training (VR-RT) or Virtual Reality-Memory Training (VR-MT). Participants will complete in-person VR sessions, laboratory assessments, self-report questionnaires as part of the study. A subset of 8 participants randomly assigned to VR-RT will complete fMRI scans and EMA surveys.

The total length of participation is around 3 months.

Conditions

Positive Affect

Depression

Study ID

NCT07219875

Start date

Jul 8, 2025

Status verified date

Oct, 2025

Completion date

Jun, 2027

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Jun, 2027

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

1. At least 18 years old
2. Fluent in written and spoken English
3. Meet all of the following dimensional score cutoffs:

1. Score on the DASS-21 depression subscale must be ≥ 8
2. Score on the PANAS-P of 27 or lower
3. Score on the WSAS of ≥ 11

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Lifetime history of bipolar disorder, psychosis, mental retardation, or organic brain damage
2. Substance use disorder in the past 6 months
3. Current use of psychotropic medications
4. Currently pregnant or planning to become pregnant
5. Self-reported frequent motion sickness
6. Self-reported seizures within the last year and/or a diagnosis of epilepsy

Study Design

Enrollment

80 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Parallel Assignment

Primary purpose

Treatment

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Virtual Reality-Reward Training (VR-RT)

13 sessions of positive VR immersion and positive memory specificity training exercises designed to savor rewarding features of immersion followed by memory specificity training exercises to savor rewarding features of autobiographical memory

active comparator: Virtual Reality-Memory Training (VR-MT)

13 sessions of neutral VR immersion and neutral memory specificity training exercises, designed to train memory of objective non-emotional stimuli followed by memory exercises to neutral non-personal stories

Interventions

Virtual Reality-Reward Training (VR-RT)

Participants will complete verbal recounting (present-tense, field perspective, positive details) and guided imaginal recounting of positive details for rewarding VR experiences and positive autobiographical memories.

Virtual Reality-Memory Training (VR-MT)

Participants will complete verbal recounting (past-tense, observer perspective, objective details) and guided imaginal recounting of neutral details for neutral VR experiences and neutral non-personal stories

Primary outcome measure

  • The Mood and Anxiety Symptoms Questionnaire - Anhedonic Depression Subscale (MASQ-AD) [ Time Frame: Change from Week 0 assessment to Post-Assessment (Week 8). Change from Week 0 assessment to Follow-Up (Week 12). ]
  • Positive Valence Systems Scale (PVSS-21) [ Time Frame: Change from Week 0 assessment to Post-Assessment (Week 8). Change from Week 0 assessment to Follow-Up (Week 12). ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Locations

University of California, Los Angeles

Recruiting

Los Angeles, California, United States, 90095

Contacts

Aleeza West

‪(323) 508-3571‬vrtrainingucla@proton.me

Principal Investigator:

Michelle Craske, PhD

More Information

Sponsor

University of California, Los Angeles

Last update posted

May 7, 2026

Last verified

Oct, 2025

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-12. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by University of California, Los Angeles on 2026-05-07.