Can VR games sharpen the minds of those with depression?
NCT ID NCT06546917
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study is testing a virtual reality (VR) program called bWell to see if it is a practical and enjoyable way to help people with major depression who have trouble with thinking and memory. Forty adults aged 19-55 will either use the bWell cognitive training or experience VR scenes twice a week for eight weeks. The main goal is to see if people find the program acceptable and easy to stick with, not yet to prove it improves symptoms.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- bWell cognitive remediation (a virtual reality cognitive training program)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could lead to a new, engaging way to help people with depression improve their thinking skills like memory and attention.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small, early feasibility study with only 40 people. It is designed to see if the approach is acceptable, not whether it works for symptoms. The results may not apply to everyone with depression.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 40 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jan 2025
- Expected to finish
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Aug 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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19 to 55 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * 19-55 years old * Meeting the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) criteria for MDD as assessed by a standardized psychiatric interview (SCID-5-RV) conducted by a trained clinician. * Patients will be euthymic or mildly depressed (defined by a Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale \[MADRS\] score \< 19) * Patients will report subjective cognitive deficits at baseline, as indicated by a total Perceived Deficits Questionnaire - Depression 20 \[PDQ-D-20\] score \> 20 at study enrollment. * If using antidepressants, participants will be on stable antidepressant therapy for at least 4 weeks prior to randomization. All concomitant doctor-prescribed medications must be at a stable dose for 4 weeks prior to the randomization visit. * If undergoing psychotherapy, participants will be on stable adjunct psychotherapy for at least 8 weeks prior to randomization * If comorbid diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), patients must be on stable dose of stimulants for at least 4 weeks prior to randomization. * Participants will be able to follow written and verbal instructions in English Exclusion Criteria: * Moderate - severely depressed patients will be excluded at this point due to acceptability concerns (e.g. potential for cybersickness) * Presence of significant neurological disorders, head trauma, or other unstable medical conditions. These conditions may adversely impact cognitive functioning and influence study results. * Presence of other psychiatric disorder (e.g. anxiety, psychotic disorder) that may be considered primary. * Meeting DSM-5 criteria for alcohol or other substance use disorder within three months prior to the randomization visit.\* * Use of benzodiazepine medications more than three times per week and/or within 24 hours of baseline or close out visit * Use of cannabis or alcohol within 24 hours, or tobacco within 30 minutes of baseline or close out visit * Suicidal ideation or self harm * Completion of previous cognitive remediation Additionally, patients will be excluded from the study if they meet any of the following criteria due to contraindications with MRI scanning: * Retained wires from an electronic implant that has been removed (i.e. pacemaker wires not attached to a pacemaker) * Cardiac pacemaker or defibrillator * Metal in eye or orbit * Ferromagnetic aneurysm clip * Pregnancy * Makeup tattoos that are not designed to fade over time * Stainless steel intrauterine device (IUD) Depending on the individual situation, they MAY NOT be able to participate if they have/had any of the following: * Artificial Heart Valve * Ear or eye implant * Brain aneurysm clip * Implanted electronic device (i.e. drug infusion pump, electrical stimulator) * Coil, catheter, or filter in any blood vessel * Orthopedic hardware (artificial joint, plate, screw, rod) * Shrapnel, bullets, or other metal fragments * Surgery, medical procedure or tattoos (including tattooed eyeliner) in the last six weeks * Other metallic prostheses If the participant has any of the above, or any safety issues arise during MRI screening process, the individual case will be reviewed by UBC Hospital MR Technologist and/or Radiologist and a case-by-case decision will be made regarding participation. Additionally, for the healthy participant recruitment, the eligibility criteria is as follows: Inclusion Criteria for healthy controls: \- 19-55 years old Exclusion criteria for healthy controls: * History of any psychiatric disorder, as assessed by a standardized psychiatric diagnostic interview * Presence of significant neurological disorder, head trauma, or other unstable medical conditions which may adversely impact cognitive functioning * Presence of any physical mobility issues that limit arm or neck movement
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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UBC Centre for Brain Health
RECRUITINGVancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z3, Canada
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