Virtual Reality and Social Cognition After Acquired Brain Injury

NCT ID: NCT05309005

Last Updated: 2022-11-10

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: UNKNOWN
• Total Enrollment: 200 participants
• Study Classification: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2022-09-15
• Study Completion Date: 2024-12-31

Brief Summary

The study aim is to improve assessment and understanding of social cognitive impairment after acquired brain injury by developing and validating a virtual reality version of The Awareness of Social Inference Test (TASIT). It is expected that the VR version of the test has comparable or better psychometric properties than the video version, and that it has improved relevance to everyday social skills. It is also expected that the VR version taxes cognitive functions more than a desktop version with identical content as the VR version.

Detailed Description

The study's main aim is to validate a Norwegian virtual reality (VR) adaptation of The Awareness of Social Inference Test (TASIT) in an acquired brain injury population (ABI). The secondary aim is to increase our understanding of the interplay between social cognition and general cognition in a realistic social setting, i.e. an immersive virtual environment.

TASIT is one of the few available standardized tests of social cognition with good and documented norms and psychometric properties. The original TASIT consists of three subtests, one subtest measuring emotion recognition and two subtests measuring Theory of Mind. It has an A and a B form for retest purposes. Each subtest consists of short videos depicting various social scenes. The participant's task is to identify a character's emotions, beliefs or intentions, depending on the subtest. TASIT predicts social cognitive impairments in several patient groups, including ABI.

VR is an immersive, computer-generated three-dimensional environment. Computer- and behavioral interfaces are used to simulate the behavior of 3D entities that interact in real time with a user who is immersed in the virtual environment. VR facilitates a sense of social presence, i.e. a feeling of being part of social situations, not attainable in a two-dimensional medium. Assessing social cognition in a virtual environment with higher social presence could increase the test's ecological validity.

For the Norwegian version of TASIT the manuscripts from all videos from the A form were translated into Norwegian. The original dialogues and plot lines from the original test were retained, except minor adaptations for modernization purposes and to exploit the potential for social presence in VR. The scenes were filmed with a 360-degree camera, allowing production of one immersive three-dimensional VR version (VR TASIT) and a standard, two-dimensional desktop version (DT TASIT). The versions are otherwise identical.

Research Questions: The overall aim is to improve assessment and understanding of social cognitive impairment in patients with ABI. This will be done by investigating the psychometric properties and validity of a VR version of TASIT.

The primary research question is:

1. What is the construct validity (known groups validity, convergent and divergent validity) and test-retest reliability of a Norwegian VR version of TASIT (VR TASIT), and are the psychometric properties comparable or improved compared to the original test?

Secondary research questions are:

2. Does the VR version of TASIT contribute to increased ecological validity in assessment of social cognition?

3. Does the application of VR TASIT result in increased cognitive load compared to the 2D version, and thus in higher correlations with tests of processing speed, attention, abstract thinking and executive functioning?

Conditions

TBI; Stroke; Acquired Brain Injury; Brain Injuries

Study Design

• Observational Model Type: COHORT
• Study Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE

Study Groups

ABI group

The patient group consists of 100 patients with acquired brain injury (e.g. cerebrovascular incidents, anoxia, encephalitis and non-progressive brain tumors)

VR TASIT

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Consists of a Norwegian adaptation of the 59 videos of social scenes that constitute the A Form in the original TASIT. The stimulus material in the Virtual Reality version is perceived through a head mounted display. This allows the test person to watch the scenes in three dimensions and a 360 degree angle, increasing the sense of social presence.

DT TASIT

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Consists of a Norwegian adaptation of the 59 videos of social scenes that constitute the A Form in the original TASIT, with identical content as the VR TASIT. The stimulus material in the desktop version is perceived on a two dimensional desktop computer screen.

Healthy control group

100 healthy adults will be matched to the patients with respect to age, gender and education.

VR TASIT

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Consists of a Norwegian adaptation of the 59 videos of social scenes that constitute the A Form in the original TASIT. The stimulus material in the Virtual Reality version is perceived through a head mounted display. This allows the test person to watch the scenes in three dimensions and a 360 degree angle, increasing the sense of social presence.

DT TASIT

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Consists of a Norwegian adaptation of the 59 videos of social scenes that constitute the A Form in the original TASIT, with identical content as the VR TASIT. The stimulus material in the desktop version is perceived on a two dimensional desktop computer screen.

Interventions

VR TASIT

Consists of a Norwegian adaptation of the 59 videos of social scenes that constitute the A Form in the original TASIT. The stimulus material in the Virtual Reality version is perceived through a head mounted display. This allows the test person to watch the scenes in three dimensions and a 360 degree angle, increasing the sense of social presence.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

DT TASIT

Consists of a Norwegian adaptation of the 59 videos of social scenes that constitute the A Form in the original TASIT, with identical content as the VR TASIT. The stimulus material in the desktop version is perceived on a two dimensional desktop computer screen.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Patients in stable phase after acquired brain injury, minimum one year after injury
• Physically able to operate VR technology
• Norwegian skills adequate to understand instructions and dialogues in TASIT videos.

Exclusion Criteria

• Severe aphasia affecting their understanding of instructions
• Apraxia affecting their ability to use VR-equipment
• Visual neglect
• Severe mental illness or co-existing neurological disorders

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 65 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Norwegian University of Science and Technology

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Sunnaas Rehabilitation Hospital

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Marianne Løvstad, Professor

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Sunnaas Rehabilitation Hospital and University of Oslo

Locations

Sunnaas Rehabilitation Hospital

Nesoddtangen, Akershus, Norway

Site Status: RECRUITING

Countries

Norway

Central Contacts

Marianne Løvstad, Professor

Role: CONTACT

marianne.lovstad@sunnaas.no

+4793452003

Martin Matre, can.psychol.

Role: CONTACT

martin.matre@sunnaas.no

+4795870663

Facility Contacts

Anne Catrine Trægde Martinsen, PhD

Role: primary

anne.catrine.traegde.martinsen@sunnaas.no

Other Identifiers

Sosial kognisjon

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id