Recruiting

VR & Brain Stimulation

Sponsor:

Indiana University

Code:

NCT07447882

Conditions

Motor Activity

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 45

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Interventions

tDCS

Study Details

Brief summary:

Virtual reality as a gaming method is being used more regularly due to its immersive environments and total body playability. A few studies have used VR paired with brain stimulation as a clinical treatment for PTSD (van't Wout-Frank et al. 2024), as well as for regaining movement and cognitive abilities following stroke (Cheng et al. 2024; Lima et al. 2024). While a clinical use for VR and brain stimulation is the ultimate goal, there have still been no basic science investigations studying the efficacy of pairing the two. This investigation will be the first in exploring the connection between VR and brain stimulation as it relates to behavioral improvements (learning the game quicker) and eventually the investigators will begin to study the exact cortical changes that facilitate the accelerated learning. The game "Beat Saber" was chosen because it requires the subjects to move their arm in a large 3-Dimensional space and gives a performance metric after each trial to measure improvement

Conditions

Motor Activity

Study ID

NCT07447882

Start date

Apr 23, 2025

Status verified date

May, 2026

Completion date

Aug, 2026

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Aug, 2026

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 45

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • · Healthy adults between the ages 18-45

  • Answer 'no' to questions 2 through 18 on the tDCS checklist as these factors can increase likelihood of adverse events with tDCS (Appendix 1)

  • No neurological damage, disease, or dysfunction (nerve damage, chronic pain disorders, diabetic neuropathy) that affect the upper limbs.
  • No significant acute or chronic medical, neurologic, or illness in the patient that, in the judgment of the Principal Investigator, could compromise subject safety, limit the ability to complete the study, and/or compromise the objectives of the study

Exclusion Criteria:

  • · Currently prescribed and taking stimulant medication (Adderall, Ritalin, Vyvanse, etc.)

  • Consumption of over-the-counter stimulants such as caffeine or nicotine (coffee, soda, supplements, energy drinks, tobacco products, or other nicotine containing products such as gum, vape pens, etc...) 12 hours prior to entering the lab on the day of testing as this can directly affect cortical excitability. If a subject takes any of these substances 12 hours prior to session 1 they will be asked to reschedule for a later date.
  • Have played the game Beat Saber on a Virtual Reality Headset in the last 12 months.

Study Design

Enrollment

52 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Parallel Assignment

Primary purpose

Basic Science

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: tDCS

Participants will receive 20 minutes of continuous brain stimulation to M1. Stimulation will begin with a 30 second ramp up to 1mA and will include a 30 second ramp down at the end of the 20 minute period.

sham comparator: SHAM

Participants receive no continuous stimulation. The sham condition will be simulated by incorporating a 30 second ramp up to 1mA followed by an immediate shut-off.

Interventions

tDCS

Soterix 1X1 tDCS stimulation device

Primary outcome measure

  • Total number of good hits [ Time Frame: Day 1 ]
  • Total accuracy [ Time Frame: Day 1 ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

zachary riley

765-215-1487zariley@iu.edu

Locations

National Institute for Fitness and Sport

Recruiting

Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, 46202

Contacts

Zachary Riley

zariley@iu.edu

More Information

Sponsor

Indiana University

Last update posted

Jun 1, 2026

Last verified

May, 2026

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-09. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by Indiana University on 2026-06-01.