Recruiting

Virtual Reality Treadmill

Sponsor:

University of Kansas Medical Center

Code:

NCT07223905

Conditions

Motoric Cognitive Risk Syndrome

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 65+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

Virtual Reality Treadmill Training

Treadmill Training

Study Details

Brief summary:

The goal of this clinical trial is to investigate if combined motor-cognitive training can improve motor and cognitive symptoms in older adults with motoric cognitive risk syndrome. The main questions it aims to answer are:

  • Does motor-cognitive training using a virtual reality treadmill improve gait speed?
  • Does motor-cognitive training using a virtual reality treadmill improve cognitive functions?

Researchers will compare virtual reality treadmill training with treadmill training to see if virtual reality treadmill training works to improve motor and cognitive functions in older adults at risk of dementia

Participants will

  • Complete 18 sessions (1 hour, 3x/week, 6 weeks) of either virtual reality treadmill training or treadmill training
  • Complete a pre- and post-training assessment
  • Wear an activity sensor for seven days prior to the pre-training assessment and for seven days after the post-training assessment.

Conditions

Motoric Cognitive Risk Syndrome

Study ID

NCT07223905

Start date

Mar 10, 2026

Status verified date

Sep, 2026

Completion date

Sep 30, 2027

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Sep 30, 2027

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 65+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age ≥ 65
  • English speaking
  • Normal cognition (CDR=0)
  • Meet MCR criteria
  • Voluntary consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Major chronic unstable disease or neurological condition (e.g., seizures)
  • Diagnosed dementia
  • Active psychiatric conditions
  • Musculoskeletal conditions that affect walking for more than 2 minutes
  • Severe visual or hearing impairments
  • Sedating drugs (new use of narcotics or anxiolytics within the past month or chronic use that causes sedation)
  • Currently engaged in other non-pharmacological interventions to improve cognition or walking

Study Design

Enrollment

30 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Parallel Assignment

Primary purpose

Treatment

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Virtual Reality Treadmill Training

The virtual reality treadmill training (VRTT) group will complete 18 training sessions over six weeks (three 1-hour sessions per week). Participants will perform prescribed tasks designed to challenge motor, cognitive, and motor-cognitive functions within a VR environment projected onto a screen in front of the treadmill (Fig 1). The VRTT system includes a conventional treadmill with a harness suspension system, camera-based motion capture (Intel RealSense, Santa Clara, CA), and a computer-generated simulation (GaitBetter, Tel Aviv, Israel). The camera tracks the participant's feet movements, which are displayed within the VR environment, allowing participants to see their feet navigating obstacles, pathways, and narrow corridors. Each session will include three walking bouts interspersed with rest breaks, targeting at least 40 minutes of active motor-cognitive training.

active comparator: Treadmill Training

Participants in the treadmill training (TT) intervention will follow a traditional TT program without feedback from the VR system. 70 The focus will be on increasing gait speed and distance, with no motor-cognitive training such as obstacle crossing or cognitive tasks while walking.

Interventions

Virtual Reality Treadmill Training

The Virtual Reality Treadmill Training (VRTT) group will complete 18 training sessions over six weeks (three 1-hour sessions per week). Participants will perform prescribed tasks designed to challenge motor, cognitive, and motor-cognitive functions within a VR environment projected onto a screen in front of the treadmill (Fig 1). The VRTT system includes a conventional treadmill with a harness suspension system, camera-based motion capture (Intel RealSense, Santa Clara, CA), and a computer-generated simulation (GaitBetter, Tel Aviv, Israel). The camera tracks the participant's feet movements, which are displayed within the VR environment, allowing participants to see their feet navigating obstacles, pathways, and narrow corridors. Each session will include three walking bouts interspersed with rest breaks, targeting at least 40 minutes of active motor-cognitive training.

Treadmill Training

Participants in the Treadmill Training (TT) intervention will follow a traditional TT program without feedback from the VR system. 70 The focus will be on increasing gait speed and distance, with no motor-cognitive training such as obstacle crossing or cognitive tasks while walking.

Primary outcome measure

  • Dual-task gait speed [ Time Frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 6 weeks ]
  • Cognition [ Time Frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 6 weeks ]
  • Gait speed [ Time Frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 6 weeks ]
  • Cognitive complaints [ Time Frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 6 weeks ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Hannes Devos, PhD

913-588-8253hdevos@kumc.edu

Locations

University of Kansas Medical Center

Recruiting

Kansas City, Kansas, United States, 66160

Contacts

Hannes Devos, PhD

913-588-8253hdevos@kumc.edu

Sodiq Fakorede

913-588-8253sfakorede@kumc.edu

Principal Investigator:

Hannes Devos

More Information

Sponsor

University of Kansas Medical Center

Last update posted

Sep 30, 2026

Last verified

Sep, 2026

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-10-01. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by University of Kansas Medical Center on 2026-09-30. Recruitment status is synced daily from ClinicalTrials.gov and may not reflect the sponsor's current status. Confirm during your call.