Can VR games heal the brain after injury?

NCT ID NCT07586566

Symptom relief Sponsor: Danderyd Hospital Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study tests whether playing virtual reality games like Beat Saber can improve memory, attention, and thinking speed in people with acquired brain injury. Fifteen participants will do 15 sessions of VR training over 5 weeks, plus their usual rehab. The goal is to see if this fun, immersive approach helps more than standard therapy.

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 (Beat Saber, Zooma, XR Brain Stimulation)
What this could lead to: If it works, this could point toward a more engaging and effective way to improve cognitive function after brain injury.
What could go wrong: This is a very small feasibility study with only 15 participants, so results may not apply widely. It is early-stage and may not show clear benefits.

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 15 people

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

Expected to start

Jun 2026

An estimate. Start dates often move.

Expected to finish

Jul 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 65 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

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

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: Participants will be recruited from both the inpatient and outpatient units at the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Danderyd Hospital. Inclusion criteria: 1. Patients with acquired brain injury in need of multiprofessional rehabilitation admitted to the clinic are eligible if they 2. are between 18 and 65 years; 3. present with attention deficits and 4. are deemed suitable for direct attention training by the rehabilitation team. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Epilepsy or suspected epilepsy; 2. non-fluent in Swedish 3. severe fatigue or/and cognitive dysfunction that makes participation difficult.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

brain injury

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Acquired brain injury including stroke

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

The places running it

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

Can VR games heal the brain after injury?

What the study statuses mean