Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET) in Psychomotor Disadaptation Syndrome

Starting soon · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Psychomotor Disadaptation Syndrome

In brief

According to demographic projections, by 2040, a quarter of the French population will be over 65. In this age group, the quality and quantity of visual, somaesthetic and vestibular information decline. This weakening of the balancing and the recurrence of falls lead to a restriction of activities of daily living and give rise to a fear of falling. Psychomotor maladjustment syndrome (PMDS) is a serious consequence of falls. A significant retropulsion when sitting or standing, as well as hypertonia characterize the posturobehavioral component of PMDS. It coexists with a psychological component, marked by a fear of the anterior emptiness. A series of studies inducing fear and experimentally manipulating its intensity demonstrated a greater displacement of the center of pressure when subjects were exposed to elevated platforms. In addition to the subjective evaluation of fear, this emotion can be assessed by heart rate variability. Despite the existence of standards and metrics adapted to the clinical setting, only one study investigated the association between the number of falls and heart rate variability in patients with neurodegenerative disorders. In recent years, cognitive and behavioral therapies using virtual reality (TERV) have improved balance in patients with cardiovascular disease and Parkinson's disease. Virtual reality (VR) thus appears to be an interesting therapeutic approach to the treatment of psychological as well as postural-behavioral disorders of PDMS. Although the feasibility of a VR intervention has been tested in elderly people (APs) suffering from PMDS, its effect has never been evaluated.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT06884735

Run by

Hopital Nord Franche-Comte

People needed

24

Starts

2026-04-01

Expected to finish

2029-04-01

Last updated by the study team

2026-02-25

Who can join

Age: 65 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Patients diagnosed with PMDS
• Ability to stand without human or technical assistance
• Falls Efficacy Scale International Short (FES-I short) > 13
• Functional Reach Test (FRT) score < 26 cm
• Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score ≥ 20

You may not qualify if…

• Patients with disorders that may interfere with immersion in virtual reality (e.g. cerebellar syndromes, Parkinsonian syndromes, hallucinations, sensory or neurocognitive disorders)
• Cybermalaise or cyberkinetosis

Where it is running

• Hôpital Nord Franche-Comté — Trévenans, France

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

Trial information comes from ClinicalTrials.gov and is refreshed daily. TrialsForMe does not provide medical care and does not run the studies it lists.