Use of Virtual Reality as a Tool for Cognitive Remediation in Elderly Depressed Patients

Launched by UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL, BREST · Aug 11, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is exploring whether virtual reality (VR) can help improve thinking skills in older adults who are experiencing depression. Depression in elderly people often affects their ability to plan, make decisions, and adapt to new situations, which can lead to loss of independence and increased care needs. Traditional depression medicines don’t usually help with these thinking problems, so this study is testing VR as a new way to support brain function. VR offers interactive, real-life-like scenarios that may be more engaging and practical than standard exercises, potentially helping patients regain more independence and improve their quality of life.

The study is looking for people aged 70 or older who have depression and mild cognitive difficulties but are still able to participate in VR activities. Participants must be able to understand and agree to the study, and they should not have certain medical conditions like epilepsy, balance problems, or serious heart issues that could make VR unsafe. If eligible, participants will use VR sessions designed to simulate everyday situations to help improve their thinking skills and how they interact with caregivers. An important goal of the study is to find out how well older adults accept and tolerate this new technology, since many seniors are not familiar with digital tools. This research aims to make sure VR is a helpful and accessible option for elderly people with depression.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Patients aged 70 or over;
• • Patient with a characterized depressive episode as assessed by the GDS (Score \> 13 at inclusion);
• • Patient with a minimum MMS score of 23/30 at inclusion;
• • Patient affiliated to or benefiting from a social security scheme;
• • Patient having received information on the protocol and having given free, informed and written consent.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Patients suffering from epilepsy;
• • Patients suffering from inner ear disorders;
• • Patients with balance disorders or postural instability;
• • Patients with swallowing disorders requiring mixed feeding;
• • Patients suffering from migraines;
• • Patients with major sensory deficits (visual or auditory);
• • Patients suffering from eye pathologies or abnormalities, and whose condition strictly contraindicates virtual reality;
• • Patients suffering from oculo-motor disorders;
• • Patients with sensory-motor deficits affecting the upper limb(s) that prevent them from performing the tasks required during VR sessions;
• • Patients suffering from primary neuropathic disorders or secondary to metabolic pathologies;
• • Patients suffering from acute psychiatric decompensation that makes it impossible for them to cooperate with the sessions (opposition, agitation, acute delusions, hallucinations, panic attacks);
• • Patients with uncontrolled cardiac pathology (angina, heart failure, rhythm disorders, conduction disorders);
• • Patients with uncontrolled hypertension (SBP \> 140 mmHg and DBP \> 90 mmHg in patients with traited hypertension);
• • Patients with implanted medical devices (pacemakers, defibrillators, etc.);
• • Patients under legal protection (guardianship) or deprived of liberty.
• • Patients who do not speak or read French fluently, unable to understand the principle of the study questionnaires and unable to cooperate with the tests.