VR, Visio-tactile Stimulation and Embodiment

Tufts University

Status: Not yet enrolling

Conditions: Healthy

Treatments: Behavioral: Visio-Tactile Stimulation

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05836038

HM&E123

Details and patient eligibility

About

Investigators will evaluate the feasibility of "puppeting" a virtual hand with the opposite hand in increasing complex movements and the effect of visio-tactile stimuli on embodiment to determine if it is a necessary part of the process.

Full description

Embodiment refers to a subjective experience where a person views a simulated body and its properties are experienced as if they were the person's own biological body (1). Embodiment is notably seen in the rubber hand illusion (2): a rubber hand is made to substitute for the real hand using visio-tactile stimulation to connect the rubber hand to the participant. In visio-tactile stimulation, the real hand is hidden from view and the rubber hand is positioned where the real hand should be. Both hands are simultaneously stroked while the participant views the rubber hand. Within a short time, the rubber hand "feels" touch and pain, independent of the real hand.

In this study investigators will evaluate the ability to enable embodiment in a virtual reality environment. After providing background information, participants will then complete the "Real Hand Session" of the Study Protocol (See below) using their real hand to move the same side virtual hand (e.g. left real hand movements will move left virtual hand). Participants will complete Usability and Embodiment /Presence surveys After the Actual Protocol, participants in the VTS group will receive visio-tactile stimuli. They will see their virtual hand touched while simultaneously feel their opposite real hand touched in the same pattern. Participants in the NoVTS will spend the same amount of time looking at their virtual hand without the touching (~1 minute).

For the "Puppet Session" participants will complete the same tasks as the "Real Hand Session"(See Below) but movement of the real hand will "puppet" the opposite virtual hand (right real hand movements will move left virtual hand). After completing the session participants will complete Usability and Embodiment /Presence surveys

Study Protocol Sessions.(20 to 30 minutes). All take place in the virtual environment Hand Movement- Press a 36-button sequence 4x Bilateral Task - "Catch" 36 "fireflies" with both hands 4x. Unilateral Task - "Catch 36 "fireflies" with one hand 4x. Avoidance Task - Press a 36-button sequence. A "dangerous" virtual obstacle (e.g., sawblade) will be placed in the path of the virtual hand during some of the trajectories. Investigators will see how far from the most efficient trajectory participants moves to avoid the object

Hypotheses H1: Participants will demonstrate a greater sense of embodiment with visio-tactile stimuli (VTS) than without visio-tactile stimuli (NoVTS) H1a: Participants in the VTS group will report higher levels of embodiment than those in the NoVTS group.

H1b: Participants will demonstrate significantly better motor performance in the VTS group than the NoVTS group.

H1c: Participants in the VTS group will demonstrate greater avoidance of "dangerous items" than those in the NoVTS group H1d: Participants in the VTS group will report better usability of the embodied virtual hand than those in the NoVTS group.

H2: Motor Performance of the "Puppeted" virtual hand will be similar to the "Actual" virtual hand.

Enrollment: 30 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• • 30 adult participants (18+)

  • Right Handed

Exclusion criteria

• Seizure, loss of awareness, or other symptom linked to an epileptic condition in the last 5 years

  • Blind;
  • Unable to use hands to reach and grasp items
  • Implanted medical device such as a pacemaker, defibrillator, or hearing aid.
  • Contagious disorder on the face (such as pink eye) that could be transmitted via the VR head set or has open areas on the face or head that would come in contact with the headset;
  • Unable to understand and respond to English

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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30 participants in 2 patient groups

Visio-tactile stimulation (VTS) during Virtual Reality

Experimental group

Description:

Participants in this group will receive visio-tactile stimulation prior to engaging with the VR program. They will see their virtual hand touched while simultaneously feel their opposite real hand touched in the same pattern.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Visio-Tactile Stimulation

No Visio-Tactile Stimulation (NoVTS) during Virtual Reality

No Intervention group

Description:

Participants in this group will not receive visio-tactile stimulation prior to engaging with the VR program. They will be asked to look at their virtual hands for approximately the same amount of time as the VST group receive their stimulation