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

Summary

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

Conditions

• Healthy Older Adults

Interventions

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.

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

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

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Beijing Sport University

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

OTHER

Masking

NONE

Model

CROSSOVER

Eligibility

Min Age

60 Years

Max Age

70 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2026-05-20

Primary Completion

2026-06-25

Completion

2026-06-25