Can VR games protect your brain from Diabetes-Related memory decline?
NCT ID NCT07650318
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Sep 18, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This pilot study is testing whether a virtual reality (VR) cognitive training program can help protect memory and thinking skills in adults aged 45-80 with type 2 diabetes and mild cognitive impairment. Forty participants will be randomly assigned to either 16 weeks of VR-based training or traditional paper-and-pencil exercises. Researchers will measure changes in cognitive function, brain scans, and diabetes control to see if the VR approach offers extra benefits.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Customized VR Cognitive Training System (device)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a new, engaging way to slow cognitive decline in people with type 2 diabetes.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small pilot study (40 people) with no blinding, so results may not be reliable or generalizable. The VR training is experimental and may not provide lasting 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
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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 40 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jun 2026
- Expected to finish
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Jun 2028
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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45 to 80 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: 1. Aged 45-80 years; gender is not restricted; 2. Participants must meet the diagnostic criteria for diabetes outlined in the \*Chinese Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes (2020 Edition)\*, namely: patients exhibit typical symptoms of diabetes and meet one of the following conditions: 1) HbA1c ≥ 6.5%; 2) Fasting blood glucose ≥7.0 mmol/L. Fasting is defined as no caloric intake for at least 8 hours; 3) 2-hour postprandial blood glucose ≥11.1 mmol/L following an oral glucose tolerance test; 4) Random blood glucose ≥11.1 mmol/L; 3. Stable glycemic control regimen for 3 months or longer; 4. Completed a systematic neuropsychological assessment and meets Petersen criteria for Mild Cognitive Impairment, satisfying the following conditions: 1) The patient or a caregiver subjectively perceives a decline in cognitive function; 2) Assessment results indicate impairment in one or more cognitive domains; 3) There is mild impairment in complex instrumental activities of daily living, but the patient maintains independence in basic activities of daily living; 4) Does not yet meet the diagnostic criteria for dementia; 5. Has an educational level of elementary school or higher and is able to cooperate in completing the assessment, VR training, and various examinations; 6. Cooperate in undergoing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations; 7. Voluntarily participates in this study, signs an informed consent form, and is able to comply with the study protocol requirements to complete follow-up. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Suffering from other dementia-related neurological disorders (such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, etc.) or severe mental illness; 2. History of central nervous system disorders, including traumatic brain injury, intracranial hemorrhage, acute cerebral infarction, etc.; 3. Severe sinusitis, space-occupying lesions in the nasopharynx, or congenital disorders affecting the sense of smell,or a history of trauma; 4. Glaucoma, severe dry eye syndrome, uncorrected strabismus, severe diabetic retinopathy,or severe motion sickness, making the user unable to tolerate VR devices; 5. History of acute diabetic complications within the past 3 months (diabetic ketoacidosis, hyperglycemic hyperosmolar state, severe hypoglycemia, etc.); 6. Severe impairment of vital organ function, including cardiac, hepatic, or renal dysfunction; 7. Pregnant or breastfeeding women, or women planning to become pregnant during the study; 8. Contraindications for MRI scans, such as the presence of metallic prostheses, pacemakers, cochlear implants, or other metallic implants, or claustrophobia; 9. Participation in other clinical trials currently or within the past 3 months; 10. Known or suspected history of allergy to study-related materials; 11. Currently taking medications intended to improve cognitive function.
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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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Department of Endocrinology, the Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School
RECRUITINGNanjing, Jiangsu, 210008, China
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