Virtual Reality-Reward Training for Anhedonia

NCT ID: NCT05342077

Last Updated: 2025-04-04

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: PHASE1
• Total Enrollment: 59 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2022-09-15
• Study Completion Date: 2025-03-14

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.

Target enrollment is 80 male and female 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.

The total length of participation is around 3 months.

Detailed Description

Anhedonia, or loss of interest and pleasure in usual activities, has been relatively resistant to pharmacological and psychological treatments in the context of anxiety and depression. Newer treatments that focus upon positivity or reward sensitivity have shown promising results.

The purpose of the current randomized controlled trial 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. Virtual Reality-Reward Training is designed to augment reward sensitivity in individuals with depression and low positive affect. Targets include behavioral, cognitive, and self-report indices of reward anticipation and initial response to reward. Specificity of target engagement is assessed by comparison with Virtual Reality-Memory Training, designed to improve memory.

Targets and clinical outcomes are assessed at baseline (Week 1) and either weekly or at mid-treatment (Week 3), post-treatment (Week 7), and follow-up (Week 12). Statistical models evaluate whether change in outcomes and change in target measures are greater as a result of Virtual Reality-Reward Training compared to Virtual-Reality-Memory Training and whether changes in target measures correlate with changes in outcome measures.

Target enrollment is 80 male and female participants with low positive affect, depression, and impaired functioning, who are at least 18 years old, who will be randomized to Virtual Reality-Reward Training or Virtual-Reality Memory Training, each comprising 7 individual virtual reality training sessions over the course of 7 weeks.

Participants will complete laboratory tests and self-report questionnaires as part of the study. Total length of participation is around 3 months.

Conditions

Positive Affect; Depression

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: DOUBLE

Study Groups

Virtual Reality-Reward Training (VR-RT)

7 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.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Virtual Reality-Reward Training (VR-RT)

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

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)

7 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 autobiographical memories.

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Virtual Reality-Memory Training (VR-MT)

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Participants will complete verbal recounting (past-tense, observer perspective, objective details) and guided imaginal recounting of neutral details for neutral VR experiences and neutral autobiographical memories.

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.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

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 autobiographical memories.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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 ≥ 11

2. Score on the PANAS-P of 24 or lower

3. Score on the SDS of ≥ 6

4. Willingness to refrain from initiating other psychosocial treatments throughout the duration of the study

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

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

Sponsors

University of California, Los Angeles

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Michelle Craske

Principal Investigator

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Michelle G Craske, Ph.D

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of California, Los Angeles

Locations

University of California, Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California, United States

Countries

United States

Other Identifiers

Virtual Reality Training Study

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id