Physiology-based Virtual Reality Training for Social Skills in Schizophrenia
Phase: NA
Conditions: Schizophrenia
Sponsor: Vanderbilt University

 
MH106748 
 
Physiology-based virtual reality training for social skills in schizophrenia 
 
11/30/2018 

PROTOCOL 
 
 
We will implement the adaptive social VR game and determine the optimal dose. After 
we construct each subject’s affective model with the machine-learning algorithm, we will 
test the effects of the adaptive VR games in 40 medicated outpatients with schizophrenia 
(SZ). Demographically matched control (CO) subjects (n=16) will only participate in the 
affective modeling and social and cognitive assessments but not in VR training (see 
Human Subjects section for details). To determine the optimal dose of VR training, it is 
necessary to conduct a valid assessment for social functioning pre- and post- treatment. 
Details of assessments are outlined below. Optimal dose of physiology-based, adaptive 
VR intervention is unknown but Tsang & Man53 reported that just ten 30-minute sessions 
of conventional, non-adaptive VR training was sufficient to obtain an improvement in SZ. 
In our study, we will examine the effects of social VR training on social and cognitive 
measures, pre- and post-treatment. At baseline (t1), the PI’s will use stratified 
randomization to assign SZ to two dose conditions: high vs. low. Stratified randomization 
is used to ensure that potential confounding factors (e.g. age, gender) are evenly 
distributed between groups. If possible, we will try to match the two groups on IQ, and the 
Social Functioning Scale79, a broad measure of social functioning, but if it cannot be done, 
we will statistically adjust for them when we test for treatment effects. Everybody will train 
twice a week but the low dose group will train for 30 mins and the high dose group for 2 
x 30 mins per visit. VR task performance will be recorded at each visit. At t1, social, 
cognitive and symptom assessments will be conducted. The research staff who 
administer assessments are blind to the group assignment and SZ are unaware which 
group they are in. The research assistants who supervise VR sessions will NOT conduct 
assessments because they will be aware of the dosing. After t1, subjects play the VR 
game for 2.5 weeks, at which point (t2), we repeat the social, cognitive and symptoms 
assessments plus a satisfaction survey. Then they train for another 2.5 weeks. At 5 weeks 
(t3), we repeat the assessments and the satisfaction survey. The behavioral measures 
have been used in intervention trials to be reliable across time with minimal practice 
effects, or offer alternate forms85,100. The satisfaction survey will solicit user feedback to 
improve our protocol in the future.  
VR Training: SZ will play the “Day Out” game in the lab. Biosensors and eye 
tracking will be used. To boost adherence, we will call/text 2 hours before the visit. They 
will be paid after each visit and receive a bonus upon reaching the next level of difficulty 
in the game, and when they complete the training.  
 
ASSESSMENTS. 
VR Task Measures: The VR game has built-in performance measures, including 
but not limited to the total time spent on completing the specified task (e.g., find out 
avatar’s birthday at the bus stop), number of errors following the sequential steps, number 
of successful social interactions with avatars and deviation from specified scenarios. The 
number of difficulty levels mastered by the participant will determine the overall 
performance. We will track the VR scores per session to determine the rate of learning.  
Social Assessments:  
(1) Social Functioning Scale (SFS)79 has 79-items with 7 subscales: social 
engagement, interpersonal communication, daily living activities, recreation, social 
activities, independent living and employment. Raw scores of the subscales are 

converted to scaled score (m=100, SD=15). (2) Social Emotional Task from CogState82 
(SET-CS) is a facial emotion recognition task within CogState (see below). (3) Bell 
Lysaker Emotion Recognition test (BLERT)100. Subjects view 10s vignettes of an actor 
talking about life. After each vignette, subjects select one emotion that was portrayed. 
There are 3 different stories portrayed in 7 emotions (21 total). Correct responses are 
summed. (4) Revised Eyes Test (EYES)127 assesses the theory of mind87. It asks 
subjects to decide the mental state of a person from an image of his/her eyes. For each 
set of eyes, subjects select one word out of 4 choices that best describes what the person 
in the picture is thinking or feeling. There are 36 trials. These measures were selected for 
their validity, reliability, and coverage of important domains of social functioning1,130. Our 
VR game simulates and exercises social interactions, thus, targeting emotion recognition 
(BLERT, EYES, SET-CS), and theory-of-mind87 (EYES, BLERT). Practicing these skills 
will likely lead to broad, beneficial consequences for social functioning (SFS).  
Cognitive Assessments: (1) Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence 
(WASI)80 will estimate IQ at t1. It will not be repeated at t2 or t3. Baseline IQ may interact 
with the efficacy of social interventions20,81. (2) CogState82 is a computerized, 
standardized battery for assessing cognitive abilities (cogstate.com). It reliably detects 
cognitive changes over time, and shows minimal practice effects with repeated 
administrations83,84. It is widely used to measure cognition in treatment trials84-86. Results 
are automatically scored. It takes 30 minutes.  
Clinical Symptoms: SAPS74 and SANS75 will be used to measure the severity of 
symptoms in SZ. 
Satisfaction Survey: To obtain feedback about VR experience, we will give a 9-
item survey that asks about difficulties, hurdles, enjoyment and motivational factors, and 
solicits suggestions. 
 
DATA ANALYSIS PLAN 
 Does the VR intervention elicit significant pre-post change on the targeted social 
attention, measures of social functioning (SFS, SET-CS, BLERT, EYES) and clinical 
symptoms (SAPS and SANS)? What are the specific treatment parameters that provide 
the optimal benefit when cost-benefit and other considerations are taken into account? 
To address training effects on the social assessments, we will use a linear mixed effects 
model (LMM) analytic approach because it allows for maximally flexible modeling of 
effects and parameters and for a principled treatment of missing data128, 141.To address 
this question, we will conduct repeated measures LMM analyses. Specific contrasts will 
directly assess: 1) The linearity of the slope of change within each group; 2) Pairwise 
differences among time points within each group; and, 3) Group differences in linearity 
and pairwise differences. Because our power calculations indicate that the most powerful 
tests of group differences will be provided by an ANCOVA framework (with pre-treatment 
values serving as the covariate)112,134, we will also use this analytic approach to compare 
the two dose conditions. Although it is important to minimize Type 2 errors in an initial 
study, we will also generate multiplicity-corrected p values across the 5 primary measures 
using simulation-based approaches142. A similar approach will be used to analyze the 
clinical symptom and other measures (e.g., CogState) although a generalized linear 
mixed effects (GLMM) model may be needed to accommodate non-normal distributional 
properties of the measures101. With a particular emphasis on the set of social measures, 

we will also conduct analyses that assess effects on the set as a whole. Depending on 
the correlational structure of the measures, we will either: 1) Form 1 or 2 linear composites 
using prior findings on the dimensional structure of the measures and our own analyses; 
or 2) Conduct a multivariate analysis of variances using the flexible facilities of mixed-
effects software to accommodate such models. We will assess clinically meaningful 
change by comparing the post-treatment SZ and normative distribution for each 
group109,110. To provide a more fine-grained assessment of the proximal effects of training 
we will assess change over days on the VR task measures (e.g., # of difficulty levels 
mastered) to assess the rate of learning across, within, and between the dose conditions. 
Generalized linear and generalized nonlinear mixed effects models will be used to 
carefully assess the functional form of change over time using several approaches: a) 
Polynomial growth models; b) Penalized spline analyses108; and, c) Non-linear mixed 
effects models101,106 directly estimating parameters particularly relevant to learning114.  It 
is important that analyses also address missing data and attrition because: (1) 
Minimization of drop-out is one of the goals of the VR intervention and will be an important 
determinant of the dose and duration to use in the R33 phase; and (2) To minimize biases, 
it is important to use a principled approach to the treatment of missing data on the other 
outcome measures. We will: (1) Conduct logistic regression and, if feasible, discrete 
survival analyses predicting drop-out based on weekly data; (2) Use pattern-mixture 
models and related approaches to estimate treatment effects in the presence of drop-out 
and assess how different patterns of attrition might moderate effects ; and, (3) Try to 
include in models auxiliary variables that predict drop-out 147,148.  Supplementary analyses 
will also test whether performance changes during the training phase mediate the effects 
of the intervention conditions on social functioning and symptom measures131.  
 
 
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