VR therapy helps teens with anorexia overcome body fears
NCT ID NCT04786951
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tested a new therapy that uses virtual reality and eye-tracking to help teenage girls with anorexia nervosa. The goal was to reduce their focus on weight-related body parts and ease body dissatisfaction and fear of gaining weight. 75 teens participated, and the approach aimed to make standard treatment more effective by retraining attention and using virtual body exposure.
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
-
75 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
-
Dec 2021
- Finished
-
Feb 2024
- 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
-
12 to 17 years
- Sex
-
Female participants only
- 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 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: * Female adolescents aged 12-17 years. * Primary diagnosis of anorexia nervosa according to DSM-5 criteria. * Body weight below the expected range for height, age, and sex. * Ability to understand and communicate in Spanish. Exclusion Criteria: * Presence of severe mental disorders other than anorexia nervosa. * Significant cognitive impairment that would interfere with participation. * Visual or auditory deficits that could interfere with VR-based body exposure therapy. * Epilepsy. * Pregnancy. * Cardiac arrhythmia.
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Anorexia nervosa are added.
Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
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
-
Hospital Sant Joan de Déu
Barcelona, Barcelona, 08950, Spain
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Can the Brain's Information-Integration process explain Anorexia's grip?
- Can a pudding snack reveal how the brain misreads the stomach?
- Could the gut microbiome hold clues to eating disorder recovery?
- Can a parent support group help teens with both autism and anorexia?
- Lab-Grown brain cells could unlock Anorexia's secrets
- Can science unlock the secrets of the naturally lean?