Healthy AdultNCT06871423
The Effect of Virtual Reality on Pain and Memory.
A study testing distraction in people with Healthy Adult, run by University of Washington at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The effect of Virtual Reality on pain and memory. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Healthy Adult
- What is being tested?
- distraction
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 16 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 3 Jan 2025to 1 Mar 2025
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- must be English speaking (but English does not necessarily need to be native/first language).
- must be willing to follow our UW approved instructions,
Who cannot join
- Not capable of indicating pain intensity
- Not capable of filling out study measures
- Non-English-speaking
- Extreme susceptibility to motion sickness
- Seizure history
- Unusual sensitivity or lack of sensitivity to pain
Show all 12Show fewer
- Sensitive skin
- sensitive feet
- migraines
- cold symptoms
- Diabetes
- Or if you are under 18 years old
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Official title: Magic Bowl VR Analgesia
The effect of Virtual Reality on pain and memory.
Read the detailed description
The primary outcome measure was the participants' accuracy of remembering the pattern of a total of five pain stimuli per set. Using the Quantitative Sensory Testing "method of limits", each participant selected a temperature they found "painful but tolerable" that they were willing to receive several more times, later in the study. They then received a sequence of five brief stimuli to their wrist, with a brief inter-stimulus interval between each stimulus.
- Conditions
- Healthy Adult
- Being tested
- distraction
- Keywords
- virtual reality, pain, distraction
- Medical subject headings
- Pain
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
distractionBehavioural
distraction via virtual reality game named "Waltz of the Wizards" aka magic bowl.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| No Virtual Reality | No intervention | No Virtual Reality during painful stimuli |
| Immersive VR | Experimental | immersive virtual reality during painful stimuli Receives: Behavioral: distraction |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Pain Memory Recall Test
After each brief thermal stimulus set, participants were asked to recall the exact pattern of the most recent sequence of 5 brief thermal stimuli, recalled in exact order, via our five question "pain memory recall test" (min = 0%, max -= 100% correct). Lower % correct scores mean less accurate memory (poorer outcome).
Measured: After each brief pain stimulus set, participants performed a brief distractor task before completing the Pain Memory Recall Test. The Pain Memory Recall Test was completed within 5 minutes after each brief thermal stimulus set.
Participants subjective rating of the accuracy of their memory for painful stimuli
Using a graphic rating scale, on a scale from zero (min) to 10 (max), participants rated how accurately they could remember their pain during No Virtual Reality vs during Virtual Reality. Higher scores indicated higher accuracy and more positive outcome.
Measured: measured within 10 minutes after each pain stimulus set
Secondary outcomes (1)
Presence ratings using Graphic Rating Scales
Participants rated their illusion of "being there" in the computer generated world, as if it was a place they were visiting, on a scale from zero to 10, where zero = none at all and 10 = "completely there".
Measured: measured within 10 minutes after participant was in virtual reality
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted12 Mar 2025
- Study start3 Jan 2025
- Primary completion1 Mar 2025
- Study completion1 Mar 2025
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (1)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Healthy AdultStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by University of WashingtonThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Crossover
- Model description
- Using a repeated measures within-subject crossover design with treatment order randomized, with healthy volunteers,
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Participant
- Enrolment
- 16 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of Washington
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Hunter Hoffman, University of Washington
- Investigators
- Hunter G Hoffman, Ph.D., Principal investigator, University of Washington
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06871423
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- VRAnalgesia2022
- Status last verified
- Mar 2025
- First submitted
- 1 Mar 2025
- Last updated
- 13 Mar 2025
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: All data is already de-identified. Only de-identified data will be shared. The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be made available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. All de-identified IPD that underlie our results in a publication will be shared.
Publications
Hoffman HG, Flor H, Stacey BR, Tsymbaliuk I, Addai B, Mason KP. The Effect of Immersive Virtual Reality on Anterograde Amnesia and Subjective Pain During Procedures: A Within-Subject Randomized Controlled Study. Anesth Analg. 2026 Jul 1;143(1):182-191. doi: 10.1213/ANE.0000000000007858. Epub 2026 May 15.
PubMed 42138978
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 13 Mar 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Magic Bowl VR Analgesia
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06871423
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- VRAnalgesia2022
- Conditions
- Healthy Adult
- Keywords
- virtual reality, pain, distraction
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 16 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- University of WashingtonUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 3 Jan 2025 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 1 Mar 2025 (actual)
- Study completion
- 1 Mar 2025 (actual)
- First posted
- 12 Mar 2025 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The effect of Virtual Reality on pain and memory.
Detailed description
The primary outcome measure was the participants' accuracy of remembering the pattern of a total of five pain stimuli per set. Using the Quantitative Sensory Testing "method of limits", each participant selected a temperature they found "painful but tolerable" that they were willing to receive several more times, later in the study. They then received a sequence of five brief stimuli to their wrist, with a brief inter-stimulus interval between each stimulus.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Crossover
- Masking
- Single blind (participant)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- Using a repeated measures within-subject crossover design with treatment order randomized, with healthy volunteers,
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| No Virtual Reality | No intervention | –No Virtual Reality during painful stimuli |
| Immersive VR | Experimental | Behavioral: distractionimmersive virtual reality during painful stimuli |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (2 listed)
- must be English speaking (but English does not necessarily need to be native/first language).
- must be willing to follow our UW approved instructions,
Key exclusion criteria (12 listed)
- Not capable of indicating pain intensity
- Not capable of filling out study measures
- Non-English-speaking
- Extreme susceptibility to motion sickness
- Seizure history
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| distractiondistraction via virtual reality game named "Waltz of the Wizards" aka magic bowl. | Behavioural | Immersive VR |
Primary outcome
Pain Memory Recall Test
Time frame: After each brief pain stimulus set, participants performed a brief distractor task before completing the Pain Memory Recall Test. The Pain Memory Recall Test was completed within 5 minutes after each brief thermal stimulus set.
After each brief thermal stimulus set, participants were asked to recall the exact pattern of the most recent sequence of 5 brief thermal stimuli, recalled in exact order, via our five question "pain memory recall test" (min = 0%, max -= 100% correct). Lower % correct scores mean less accurate memory (poorer outcome).
Participants subjective rating of the accuracy of their memory for painful stimuli
Time frame: measured within 10 minutes after each pain stimulus set
Using a graphic rating scale, on a scale from zero (min) to 10 (max), participants rated how accurately they could remember their pain during No Virtual Reality vs during Virtual Reality. Higher scores indicated higher accuracy and more positive outcome.
1 secondary outcome
Presence ratings using Graphic Rating Scales
Time frame: measured within 10 minutes after participant was in virtual reality
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 13 Mar 2025.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 42138978Hoffman HG, Flor H, Stacey BR, Tsymbaliuk I, Addai B, Mason KP. The Effect of Immersive Virtual Reality on Anterograde Amnesia and Subjective Pain During Procedures: A Within-Subject Randomized Controlled Study. Anesth Analg. 2026 Jul 1;143(1):182-191. doi: 10.1213/ANE.0000000000007858. Epub 2026 May 15.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. All data is already de-identified. Only de-identified data will be shared. The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be made available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. All de-identified IPD that underlie our results in a publication will be shared.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Hunter G Hoffman, Ph.D. principal investigator
University of Washington
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing distraction in people with Healthy Adult, run by University of Washington at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 2 inclusion and 12 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 13 Mar 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Pain Memory Recall Test (time frame: After each brief pain stimulus set, participants performed a brief distractor task before completing the Pain Memory Recall Test. The Pain Memory Recall Test was completed within 5 minutes after each brief thermal stimulus set.). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT06871423, which also lists 1 linked publication.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 13 Mar 2025.