The Effects of Immersive Virtual Reality-Based Exergaming Combined With Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Executive Functions in Healthy Older Adults

May 9, 2026 updated by: Beijing Sport University

The goal of this clinical trial is to investigate the acute effects of immersive virtual reality (VR)-based exergaming combined with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on executive functions in healthy older adults. The main questions it aims to answer are:

  • Does VR-based exergaming combined with tDCS improve executive function performance in healthy older adults compared with a control condition?
  • Do single interventions (tDCS alone or VR-based exergaming alone) improve executive function performance compared with the control condition?
  • Does the combined intervention produce greater improvements in executive function performance than either intervention alone? Researchers will compare four intervention conditions to evaluate differences in executive function performance following each session.

Participants will:

  • Complete four intervention sessions in a randomized crossover sequence, with a washout period of at least 7 days between sessions
  • Receive the following intervention conditions:
  • sham-tDCS + VR-video
  • tDCS + VR-video
  • sham-tDCS + VR-exergaming
  • tDCS + VR-exergaming
  • Complete executive function assessments immediately after each session, including:
  • the Flanker task for inhibitory control
  • the more-odd shifting task for cognitive flexibility
  • the Corsi block-tapping task for working memory

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

24

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

(1) Age between 60 to 70 years old; (2) Right-handed (Edinburgh Handedness Inventory (Chinese version) > 40); (3) Normal overall cognitive function (Montreal Cognitive Assessment (Beijing version) ≥ 26).

Exclusion Criteria:

(1) Musculoskeletal injury; (2) neurological/neurodegenerative disorders (e.g., Alzheimer's disease); (3) history of brain infections or cerebrovascular diseases; (4) psychiatric disorders (e.g., major depressive disorder, schizophrenia); (5) unstable or chronic medical conditions (e.g., cardiac disease, seizures (personal/family history)); (6) hearing and visual impairments (e.g., color blindness and conditions severely affecting the ability to see the screen or distinguish colors); (7) metal implants (e.g., pacemakers); (8) brain stimulation or exercise training intervention within the past 6 months; (9) failure to meet safety criteria for brain stimulation (e.g., pregnancy)

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Other
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Sham Comparator: Sham tDCS + VR-video
Participants receive sham transcranial direct current stimulation and then watch a virtual reality video.
Device: sham transcranial direct current stimulation
The anodal electrode is positioned over the left DLPFC (F3), and the cathodal electrode is placed over the right supraorbital area. Sham stimulation is applied in the same locations for 20 min with only 15s ramp-up and 15s ramp-down stimulation to mimic the sensory experience of real stimulation.
Behavioral: VR-video
For the VR-video condition, participants view a mild plant documentary called Journey of Chinese Plants through the same VR headset. VR-video intervention consisted of four cycles of 3.5 min, each separated by a 2-min rest interval, for a total duration of 20 min
Experimental: tDCS + VR-video
Participants receive active transcranial direct current stimulation and then watch a virtual reality video.
Behavioral: VR-video
For the VR-video condition, participants view a mild plant documentary called Journey of Chinese Plants through the same VR headset. VR-video intervention consisted of four cycles of 3.5 min, each separated by a 2-min rest interval, for a total duration of 20 min
Device: transcranial direct current stimulation
The anodal electrode is positioned over the left DLPFC (F3), and the cathodal electrode is placed over the right supraorbital area. The transcranial direct current stimulation is applied for 20 min at an intensity of 2 mA, with 15 s ramp-up and 15 s ramp-down.
Experimental: Sham tDCS + VR-exergaming
Participants receive sham transcranial direct current stimulation combined with immersive virtual reality-based exergaming.
Device: sham transcranial direct current stimulation
The anodal electrode is positioned over the left DLPFC (F3), and the cathodal electrode is placed over the right supraorbital area. Sham stimulation is applied in the same locations for 20 min with only 15s ramp-up and 15s ramp-down stimulation to mimic the sensory experience of real stimulation.
Behavioral: VR-exergaming
For the VR-exergaming condition, participants engage in an interactive rhythm-based fitness game called PowerBeatsVR. It immerses participants in a virtual exercise environment accompanied by dynamic musical beats, with punching and tracking movements. The VR-exergaming consisted of four cycles of 3.5 min, each separated by a 2-min rest interval, for a total duration of 20 min
Experimental: tDCS + VR-exergaming
Participants receive active transcranial direct current stimulation combined with immersive virtual reality-based exergaming.
Device: transcranial direct current stimulation
The anodal electrode is positioned over the left DLPFC (F3), and the cathodal electrode is placed over the right supraorbital area. The transcranial direct current stimulation is applied for 20 min at an intensity of 2 mA, with 15 s ramp-up and 15 s ramp-down.
Behavioral: VR-exergaming
For the VR-exergaming condition, participants engage in an interactive rhythm-based fitness game called PowerBeatsVR. It immerses participants in a virtual exercise environment accompanied by dynamic musical beats, with punching and tracking movements. The VR-exergaming consisted of four cycles of 3.5 min, each separated by a 2-min rest interval, for a total duration of 20 min

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Reaction time and accuracy of inhibitory control are assessed by the Flanker task.
Time Frame: Immediately after the intervention.
Immediately after the intervention.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Reaction time and accuracy of cognitive flexibility are assessed by more odds shifting task.
Time Frame: Immediately after the intervention.
Immediately after the intervention.
Scores of working memory are assessed by the Corsi Block-Tapping Task
Time Frame: Immediately after the intervention.
Immediately after the intervention.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Beijing Sport University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

May 20, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

June 25, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

June 25, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 9, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 9, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

May 15, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 15, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 9, 2026

Last Verified

May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2024458H

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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