VR therapy aims to lift mood in depression
NCT ID NCT07219875
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether a virtual reality training program can help people with depression and low positive affect feel more joy and motivation. 80 adults will be randomly assigned to either a reward-focused VR training or a neutral memory VR training for 7 weeks. The goal is to see if the reward training improves mood and reduces symptoms better than the control.
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 training (behavioral intervention)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a new, drug-free way to help people with depression feel more positive emotions.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase trial (80 people) comparing two VR approaches. It may not show a clear benefit, and results may not apply to everyone with depression.
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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Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
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About 80 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jul 2025
- Expected to finish
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Jun 2027
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 years and older
- 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: 1. At least 18 years old 2. Fluent in written and spoken English 3. Meet all of the following dimensional score cutoffs: 1. Score on the DASS-21 depression subscale must be ≥ 8 2. Score on the PANAS-P of 27 or lower 3. Score on the WSAS of ≥ 11 Exclusion Criteria: 1. Lifetime history of bipolar disorder, psychosis, mental retardation, or organic brain damage 2. Substance use disorder in the past 6 months 3. Current use of psychotropic medications 4. Currently pregnant or planning to become pregnant 5. Self-reported frequent motion sickness 6. Self-reported seizures within the last year and/or a diagnosis of epilepsy
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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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University of California, Los Angeles
RECRUITINGLos Angeles, California, 90095, United States
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