Could a simple walk recalibrate the Brain's sense of self?
NCT ID NCT06817980
First seen Aug 20, 2026 · Last updated Aug 21, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This trial explores whether physical activity, specifically walking in different visual environments, can improve the sense of self in people with schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder, or vestibular syndromes. Participants will complete walking sessions in three environments that vary in visual complexity, and researchers will measure how well they distinguish their own movement from movement in the environment. An optional session with mixed-reality goggles tests whether adding a visual light flow can further help. The goal is to understand how sense-of-self disorders affect physical activity and whether tailored exercise could help.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Physical activity (walking sessions in different visual environments, with optional mixed-reality goggles)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could point toward tailored physical activity programs that improve the sense of self and boost adherence in people with these conditions.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early exploratory study, so results may not be conclusive or generalizable. The intervention is low-risk, but benefits are uncertain.
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 168 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Aug 2025
- Expected to finish
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Sep 2028
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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18 to 60 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: * Criteria common to all participants: * Men or women aged 18 to 60 inclusive * Subject affiliated to a health insurance scheme, beneficiary or beneficiary's beneficiary * Able to understand the aims and risks of the research, and to give informed consent * Visual acuity \> 0.7 on the Freiburg Vision Test (Bach 1996) due to the use of visual equipment * BMI (body mass index) \< 40 (due to cardiovascular risk). Patient-specific criteria: * With schizophrenia: criteria for schizophrenia as defined in the DSMV (American Psychiatric Association, 2015) * With borderline personality disorder: criteria for borderline personality disorder as defined in the DSMV (American Psychiatric Association, 2015) * With vestibular disorders: peripheral vestibular disorders established after otolaryngological examination Exclusion Criteria: * Criteria common to all participants: * Serious or unstabilized somatic pathology (including cardiovascular) * History likely to affect cerebral anatomy or to be linked to an abnormality (neonatal suffering, neurosurgical operation, comitiality, stroke...) * Presence of joint pain, likely to worsen after exercise * \- Substance use disorders (as defined by DSM-IV TR) * 3D vision disorders as measured by the Wirt stereotest (depth perception at a disparity of at least 80'' arc) * Movement perception disorders (correct movement discrimination in less than 75% of trials (cf. § V-2.2) * History of general anaesthesia in the 3 months preceding the study * History of neurological disease * Impossibility of giving the subject informed information (subject in emergency situation) * Pregnancy declared by patient * Breast-feeding * Subject in exclusion period (determined by a previous or current study) * Subject hospitalized * Subject under court protection Exclusion criteria specific to control subjects or patients with vestibular syndrome: History of major psychiatric pathology with current psychotropic medication (i.e., antidepressant, thymoregulator, antipsychotic)
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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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Service de psychiatrie
RECRUITINGStrasbourg, 67000, France
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- Can virtual reality from home sharpen social skills in schizophrenia?