Can zapping the brain make virtual heights less scary?
NCT ID NCT03387254
First seen Sep 14, 2026 · Last updated Sep 15, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
Researchers are testing whether combining virtual reality exposure with a mild form of brain stimulation can help people who fear heights. The study enrolls adults with a fear of heights but without a diagnosed phobia. Participants receive two virtual reality sessions, each paired with either active or sham brain stimulation over a brain region involved in fear regulation. The goal is to see if the approach is feasible and whether it reduces discomfort at simulated heights.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- virtual reality exposure therapy combined with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a brief, non-drug way to reduce height-related anxiety, possibly making exposure therapy more effective or faster.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small, early-stage study of 28 people, so any benefit may not hold up in larger trials. Brain stimulation carries small risks like scalp discomfort, and some people cannot tolerate virtual reality.
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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
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28 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Jun 2018
- Finished
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Jul 2018
- 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 65 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: * Without any particular ethnic and psychosocial criteria * Subjects with fear of heights (anxiety AQ score \>45 and/or VHI score \>7) * Subjects with SUD score\>50/100 assessed during first visit * Subjects without psychiatric or addictive disorders * Subjects without criteria of phobia according to DSM5 (Diagnostic Statistical Manual) Exclusion Criteria: * contraindication to tDCS (neurosurgical history, intracranial device, skin problems) * current virtual reality intolerance * history of psychiatric or addictive disorders * Use of psychotropic drugs * Use of non psychotropic treatments significantly influencing mood or level of anxiety * Neurological pathology, locomotor disability, or sensory (vestibular, visual, auditory ...) * pregnant or breast-feeding women
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University Hospital
Nantes, France
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.