Can video games rebuild arm strength in cerebral palsy?
NCT ID NCT04147468
First seen Aug 24, 2026 · Last updated Aug 25, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This pilot study tests whether virtual reality games or functional strength training can improve arm function in children with cerebral palsy. Ten participants will be randomly assigned to one of two home-based interventions, each lasting six weeks. Researchers will measure changes in arm movement, fine motor skills, daily hand use, and brain activity to see which approach offers greater benefits.
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 games (Super Pop VR) and functional strength training
- What this could lead to
- If effective, these home-based interventions could offer new ways to improve arm function and daily hand use in children with cerebral palsy.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small pilot study with only 10 participants, so results may not apply broadly. The interventions may not produce significant improvements, and individual responses can vary.
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 10 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Aug 2019
- 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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6 to 30 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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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 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: * children with spastic CP are between ages 5-18 years; adults with spastic CP are between 19-30 years * diagnosed with spastic CP * have a Manual Ability Classification System (MACS) level I-III * able to sit with trunk supported * are able to reach forward for more than half of their arm length * are able to follow three-step commands * are able to see video screen (with or without corrected vision); and * their primary caregiver is willing to follow the desired intervention "dosing" and all evaluation measurements, including MRI. Exclusion Criteria: * they have received surgery or botulinum toxin type A injection in the training arm within the preceding 4 months or are scheduled to receive it during the planned study period, or * if they have a severe attention deficit or uncontrolled epilepsy which may possibly be triggered by the light or sound of the virtual reality games.
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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
The full official record for this study. This one lists no contact details, but it is the first place any would appear.
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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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Georgia State University
Atlanta, Georgia, 30303, United States
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