Enhancing Brain Training With Virtual Reality

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of brain training in a Virtual Reality set up in neurotypical populations as well as in the traumatic brain injury population.

Detailed Description
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Brain training is a large and a growing field, both scientifically and commercially. Emerging evidence demonstrates that training can promote beneficial brain plasticity in both healthy individuals and clinical populations. Much of the recent interest in brain training can be traced back to the seminal work done at the University of Rochester, where Daphne Bavelier and colleagues showed that training with action video games (AVG) can lead to a wide range of cognitive and perceptual improvements. In our recent work, we developed a novel training paradigm that isolates and concentrates the key aspects of AVG-training while eliminating complex and often violent gameplay associated with AVGs. The results revealed similarly broad effects of training as with conventional AVGs. In this study, we aim to move this training paradigm to virtual reality (VR) and extend its application to cognitive aging and mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) populations.

Official Title
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Enhancing Brain Training With Virtual Reality

Conditions
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Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Training in Virtual Reality
* Behavioral: Training on a computer screen


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: A person is eligible for inclusion in the study if he/she: Is an adult over the age of 18. Has the capacity to give consent. Has normal or corrected to normal vision. Has adequate hearing. Is a non-action video game player. Is a non-VR game player. All subjects will be assigned to one of four groups: a Control Group training in VR, a Control Groups training on a 2D display, an Older Adult Group without dementia training in VR, and a College Athletes with mild TBI Group training in VR. Specific Inclusion Criteria for both Control Groups. The subject must: Be between the ages of 18 and 35. Have no neurologic or vascular disorders/injuries. Specific Inclusion Criteria for the College Athletes with TBI Group. The subject must: Be between the ages of 18 and 35. Be diagnosed with mild TBI (i.e., concussion) within the last two weeks. Specific Inclusion Criteria for the Older Adult Group. The subject must: Be over the age of 65. Have no neurologic or vascular disorders/injuries. Exclusion Criteria: A person will be excluded from the study if he/she: • Is under the age of 18.

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years
Maximum Age: 75 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Treatment
Allocation: Non-Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Control in VR<br>Adults ages 18 to 35 who will be training in Virtual Reality. | Behavioral: Training in Virtual Reality<br>* Action Video Game Based Training in Virtual Reality<br>|
| Experimental: Control Non-VR<br>Adults ages 18 to 35 who will be training on a computer screen. | Behavioral: Training on a computer screen<br>* Action Video Game Based Training on a computer screen<br>|
| Experimental: College Athletes with TBI Group<br>Adults ages 18 to 35 with mild TBI who will be training in Virtual Reality | Behavioral: Training in Virtual Reality<br>* Action Video Game Based Training in Virtual Reality<br>|
| Experimental: Older Adult Group<br>Older Adults over the age of 65 who will be training in Virtual Reality | Behavioral: Training in Virtual Reality<br>* Action Video Game Based Training in Virtual Reality<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Visual Crowding (a measure of spacial resolution of attention) | This is a visual task which will be done an a computer twice. Once prior to the start of training and then again following training. The results (including the number of trials correct as well as the time it took for the subject to respond) will be analyzed and compared across groups. | 6 weeks | 
| Attentional Blink (a measure of temporal resolution of attention) | This is a visual task which will be done an a computer twice. Once prior to the start of training and then again following training. The results (including the number of trials correct as well as the time it took for the subject to respond) will be analyzed and compared across groups. | 6 weeks | 
| Useful Field of View (a measure of spacial awareness) | This is a visual task which will be done an a computer twice. Once prior to the start of training and then again following training. The results (including the number of trials correct as well as the time it took for the subject to respond) will be analyzed and compared across groups. | 6 weeks |