Could a simple walk recalibrate the Brain's sense of self?

NCT ID NCT06817980

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
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
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 Results may not be published yet.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

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Status unknown
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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

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

About 168 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Aug 2025

Expected to finish

Sep 2028

An estimate. End dates often move.

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 to 60 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

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: * 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

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  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

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Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Service de psychiatrie

    RECRUITING

    Strasbourg, 67000, France

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