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Can virtual reality from home sharpen social skills in schizophrenia?

NCT ID NCT05017532

Symptom relief Sponsor: Douglas Mental Health University Institute Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Aug 27, 2026 · Last updated Aug 28, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

Researchers are testing whether a virtual-reality program called RC2S+ can be used remotely to help people with schizophrenia improve social cognition, such as recognizing emotions and understanding others' thoughts. The study enrolls 15 adults with schizophrenia or related psychotic disorders who have difficulty in social cognition. Participants use the program at home, and researchers measure how acceptable and feasible it is, along with any early effects on social thinking and symptoms.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
A personalized cognitive remediation program called RC2S+ that uses virtual reality to simulate daily social interactions, delivered remotely.
What this could lead to
If it works, this could offer a convenient, home-based way to help people with schizophrenia improve social skills like reading emotions and understanding others' perspectives.
What could go wrong
This is a very small early trial with only 15 participants, so results may not apply broadly. The program may be hard to use remotely, and any benefits might not last.

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

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

15 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Jan 2022

Finished

Feb 2025

Lead sponsor

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

18 years and older

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show 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: 1. DSM-5 diagnosis of schizophrenia or a related psychotic disorder 2. Being followed and treated by a clinician of the Douglas Mental Health University Hospital 3. Being 18 or older 4. Having an objective difficulty in social cognition (i.e. emotion recognition, theory of mind, attributional bias, social perception) defined as a performance equal of below 1 standard deviation from the normative group on one of the following measures: Penn Emotion Recognition Task (ER-40; Emotion recognition), Combined Stories Test (COST; Theory of mind), Social Knowledge test (SKT; Social knowledge) or Interpersonal, Personal and Situational Attributions Questionnaire (IPSAQ; Attributional style). This criterion is mandatory since we need to be able to remediate a difficulty during cognitive remediation. 5. Being considered symptomatically stable and capable of using the online platforms, as judged by their primary clinicians (i.e., psychiatrist, case manager, psychologist) 6. Having access to digital technology, Internet and access to a private space (a room where the participant can be alone) 7. Being able to nominate an emergency contact Exclusion Criteria: 1. Evidence of an organic cause for cognitive difficulties (e.g. neurological disease, history of brain trauma) 2. History of mental retardation or autism spectrum disorder 3. Being hospitalized at the time of recruitment 4. Inability to speak or read French or English

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Cognitive Dysfunction psychotic disorder Psychotic Disorders schizophrenia

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Cognitive impairment Psychosis Schizophrenia

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Douglas Mental Health University Institute

    Montreal, Quebec, H4H 1R3, Canada

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