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-RT is a novel intervention aimed at enhancing savoring of positive experiences among individuals with elevated 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 4 weeks of either VR-RT or VR-MT. Participants will complete in-person VR sessions, laboratory assessments, and self-report questionnaires as part of the study.

The total length of participation is around 3 months.

Conditions

Positive Affect

Depression

Study ID

NCT07219875

Start date

May 21, 2025

Status verified date

Oct, 2026

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 schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, psychosis, intellectual/developmental disability, 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
7. Self-reported color blindness or vision that is not corrected to normal

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)

8 sessions of positive VR immersion and exercises designed to guide savoring of rewarding details, followed by exercises to savor rewarding features of autobiographical memory

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

8 sessions of VR immersion and memory exercises, designed to train memory of objective non-emotional details, followed by neutral word-list memorization exercises.

Interventions

Virtual Reality-Reward Training (VR-RT)

Participants complete positive VR experiences followed by written and coach-guided imaginal recounting of rewarding details. Recounting emphasizes a first-person, present-tense perspective and attention to positive sensory and emotional features of the experience. Participants also complete written and audio-guided exercises involving positive autobiographical memories.

Virtual Reality-Memory Training (VR-MT)

Participants complete VR-based memory exercises requiring attention to and memory for objects of a specific color. Following VR experiences, participants complete written and coach-guided verbal recall emphasizing objective details. Participants also complete written and audio-guided neutral word-list memorization and recall exercises.

Primary outcome measure

  • The Mood and Anxiety Symptoms Questionnaire - Anhedonic Depression Subscale (MASQ-AD) [ Time Frame: Week 0 (baseline), Week 3 (mid-training), Week 5 (post-training), and Week 9 (follow-up). Primary comparisons are change from Week 0 to Week 5 and from Week 0 to Week 9. ]
  • Positive Valence Systems Scale (PVSS-21) [ Time Frame: Week 0 (baseline), Week 3 (mid-training), Week 5 (post-training), and Week 9 (follow-up). Primary comparisons are change from Week 0 to Week 5 and from Week 0 to Week 9. ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Ivy Q Xiao, B.S.

4242939615ivyxiao@psych.ucla.edu

Locations

University of California, Los Angeles

Recruiting

Los Angeles, California, United States, 90095

Contacts

Ivy Xiao, B.S.

424-293-9615vrtrainingucla@proton.me

Principal Investigator:

Michelle Craske, PhD

More Information

Sponsor

University of California, Los Angeles

Last update posted

Oct 16, 2026

Last verified

Oct, 2026

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-11-08. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by University of California, Los Angeles on 2026-10-16. Recruitment status is synced daily from ClinicalTrials.gov and may not reflect the sponsor's current status. Confirm during your call.