Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)AI-VRETNCT07877363
Artificial Intelligence-Powered Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy for OCD in College Students: A Proof-of-Concept Study
A study testing Traditional Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) and Artificial Intelligence-Powered Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (AI-VRET) in people with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), run by University of California, San Diego.
Trial summary
This research study is being conducted to study the use of artificial-intelligence powered virtual reality exposure therapy (AI-VRET) to treat college students with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 29 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- What is being tested?
- Traditional Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) and Artificial Intelligence-Powered Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (AI-VRET)
- Type of treatment
- Medical device
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 24 participants
- Where
- No sites listed yet
- Study dates
- 1 Oct 2026to 30 Jun 2027
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
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 to 29 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- Sign and date informed consent form.
- Stated willingness to comply with all study procedures and availability for the duration of the study.
- Age 18-29 at time of enrollment.
- Diagnosed with OCD as confirmed through clinical interview.
- Currently enrolled as a college student and receiving psychiatric care in the University of California San Diego College Mental Health Program.
Who cannot join
- Age under 18 or over 29 years at the time of enrollment.
- Absence of a confirmed OCD diagnosis via clinical interview.
- Not currently enrolled as a college student.
- Presence of a contraindication for VR use, including a history of migraine, seizures, motion sickness, simulator sickness, or having an implanted medical device that could be impacted by magnetic or electromagnetic fields (e.g., cardiac pacemaker, defibrillator, or hearing aid).
- Suicidal or parasuicidal behavior within the past 6 months.
- Comorbid psychotic disorder.
- Requirement for frequent medication changes that would preclude stable study participation.
About this study
Official title: Artificial Intelligence-Powered Virtual Reality-Based Exposure Therapy for OCD in College Students: A Proof-of-Concept Study
This research study is being conducted to study the use of artificial-intelligence powered virtual reality exposure therapy (AI-VRET) to treat college students with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).
- Conditions
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- Being tested
- Traditional Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Artificial Intelligence-Powered Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (AI-VRET)
- Keywords
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Exposure Therapy, College Mental Health, Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Virtual Reality (VR), Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- Medical subject headings
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Traditional Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)Other
Exposure and response prevention (ERP) is a specific type of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) that is the most effective, and first-line psychotherapy for children, adolescents, and adults. ERP is guided by a trained therapist and helps individuals extinguish fears and reduce or eliminate compulsive behaviors in a structured and supportive environment. ERP treatment begins by the therapist providing the patient with psychoeducation and then developing an exposure hierarchy or exposure list for the individual's OCD symptoms. The individual with OCD is then exposed to stimuli that elicit distress (exposure) and then prevented from engaging in compulsive, ritualistic, or avoidance behavior (response prevention). The exact ERP session varies depending on the individual's OCD symptoms and their readiness to engage in compulsions. The therapist and patient then collaboratively develop practice or homework assignments to complete between sessions.
Artificial Intelligence-Powered Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (AI-VRET)Device
Virtual reality exposure therapy is a modality of exposure therapy that immerses individuals in computer-generated scenarios to gradually face their fears while wearing headsets that place them in the immersive environments. Artificial intelligence-powered virtual reality exposure therapy (AI-VRET), adds on to virtual reality exposure therapy by enabling the therapist to modify the virtual reality environment by use of artificial intelligence in real-time.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Traditional Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) | Active comparator | Exposure and response prevention (ERP) is a specific type of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) that is the most effective, and first-line psychotherapy for children, adolescents, and adults. ERP is guided by a trained therapist and helps individuals extinguish fears and reduce or eliminate compulsive behaviors in a structured and supportive environment. ERP treatment begins by the therapist providing the patient with psychoeducation and then developing an exposure hierarchy or exposure list for the individual's OCD symptoms. The individual with OCD is then exposed to stimuli that elicit distress (exposure) and then prevented from engaging in compulsive, ritualistic, or avoidance behavior (response prevention). The exact ERP session varies depending on the individual's OCD symptoms and their readiness to engage in compulsions. The therapist and patient then collaboratively develop practice or homework assignments to complete between sessions. Receives: Other: Traditional Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) |
| Artificial Intelligence-Powered Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (AI-VRET) | Experimental | Virtual reality exposure therapy is a modality of exposure therapy that immerses individuals in computer-generated scenarios to gradually face their fears while wearing headsets that place them in the immersive environments. Artificial intelligence-powered virtual reality exposure therapy (AI-VRET), adds on to virtual reality exposure therapy by enabling the therapist to modify the virtual reality environment by use of artificial intelligence in real-time. Receives: Device: Artificial Intelligence-Powered Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (AI-VRET) |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale-II (Y-BOCS-II)
Measured: Visits 1 (baseline) & 14 (post-treatment assessment, approximately 14 weeks following baseline)
Secondary outcomes (7)
Florida Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory (FOCI)
Measured: Visits 1 (baseline) & 14 (post-treatment assessment, approximately 14 weeks following baseline)
Adult OCD Impact Scale (OCD-IS):
Measured: Visits 1 (baseline) & 14 (post-treatment assessment, approximately 14 weeks following baseline)
Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS)
Measured: Visits 1 (baseline) & 14 (post-treatment assessment, approximately 14 weeks following baseline)
Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7):
Measured: Visits 1-14 (all study visits). Visit 1 is at baseline, and subsequent visits are approximately one week apart. The final visit is approximately 14 weeks after baseline.
Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)
Measured: Visits 1-14 (all study visits). Visit 1 is at baseline, and subsequent visits are approximately one week apart. The final visit is approximately 14 weeks after baseline.
Presence Questionnaire (PQ)
Measured: Visits 2-13. Visit 2 is approximately one week following baseline, and subsequent visits are approximately one week apart. Visit 13 is approximately 13 weeks following baseline.
Cybersickness in Virtual Reality Questionnaire (CSQ-VR)
Measured: Visits 2-13. Visit 2 is approximately one week following baseline, and subsequent visits are approximately one week apart. Visit 13 is approximately 13 weeks following baseline.
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted16 Oct 2026
- Study start1 Oct 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion30 Jun 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion30 Jun 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)Studies of the same condition, open and under way.
- 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
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 24 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of California, San Diego
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Kristen Duarte, University of California, San Diego
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07877363
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 814447
- Acronym
- AI-VRET
- Status last verified
- Oct 2026
- First submitted
- 5 Oct 2026
- Last updated
- 16 Oct 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 16 Oct 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Artificial Intelligence-Powered Virtual Reality-Based Exposure Therapy for OCD in College Students: A Proof-of-Concept Study
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07877363
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- AI-VRET / 814447
- Conditions
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- Keywords
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Exposure Therapy, College Mental Health, Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Virtual Reality (VR), Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Not yet recruiting
- Enrolment
- 24 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- University of California, San DiegoUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 1 Oct 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion
- 30 Jun 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 30 Jun 2027 (estimated)
- First posted
- 16 Oct 2026 (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.
This research study is being conducted to study the use of artificial-intelligence powered virtual reality exposure therapy (AI-VRET) to treat college students with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Traditional Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) | Active comparator | Other: Traditional Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)Exposure and response prevention (ERP) is a specific type of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) that is the most effective, and first-line psychotherapy for children, adolescents, and adults. ERP is guided by a trained therapist and helps individuals extinguish fears and reduce or eliminate compulsive behaviors in a structured and supportive environment. ERP treatment begins by the therapist providing the patient with psychoeducation and then developing an exposure hierarchy or exposure list for the individual's OCD symptoms. The individual with OCD is then exposed to stimuli that elicit distress (exposure) and then prevented from engaging in compulsive, ritualistic, or avoidance behavior (response prevention). The exact ERP session varies depending on the individual's OCD symptoms and their readiness to engage in compulsions. The therapist and patient then collaboratively develop practice or homework assignments to complete between sessions. |
| Artificial Intelligence-Powered Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (AI-VRET) | Experimental | Device: Artificial Intelligence-Powered Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (AI-VRET)Virtual reality exposure therapy is a modality of exposure therapy that immerses individuals in computer-generated scenarios to gradually face their fears while wearing headsets that place them in the immersive environments. Artificial intelligence-powered virtual reality exposure therapy (AI-VRET), adds on to virtual reality exposure therapy by enabling the therapist to modify the virtual reality environment by use of artificial intelligence in real-time. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 29 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Sign and date informed consent form.
- Stated willingness to comply with all study procedures and availability for the duration of the study.
- Age 18-29 at time of enrollment.
- Diagnosed with OCD as confirmed through clinical interview.
- Currently enrolled as a college student and receiving psychiatric care in the University of California San Diego College Mental Health Program.
Key exclusion criteria (7 listed)
- Age under 18 or over 29 years at the time of enrollment.
- Absence of a confirmed OCD diagnosis via clinical interview.
- Not currently enrolled as a college student.
- Presence of a contraindication for VR use, including a history of migraine, seizures, motion sickness, simulator sickness, or having an implanted medical device that could be impacted by magnetic or electromagnetic fields (e.g., cardiac pacemaker, defibrillator, or hearing aid).
- Suicidal or parasuicidal behavior within the past 6 months.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Traditional Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)Exposure and response prevention (ERP) is a specific type of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) that is the most effective, and first-line psychotherapy for children, adolescents, and adults. ERP is guided by a trained therapist and helps individuals extinguish fears and reduce or eliminate compulsive behaviors in a structured and supportive environment. ERP treatment begins by the therapist providing the patient with psychoeducation and then developing an exposure hierarchy or exposure list for the individual's OCD symptoms. The individual with OCD is then exposed to stimuli that elicit distress (exposure) and then prevented from engaging in compulsive, ritualistic, or avoidance behavior (response prevention). The exact ERP session varies depending on the individual's OCD symptoms and their readiness to engage in compulsions. The therapist and patient then collaboratively develop practice or homework assignments to complete between sessions. | Other | Traditional Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) |
| Artificial Intelligence-Powered Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (AI-VRET)Virtual reality exposure therapy is a modality of exposure therapy that immerses individuals in computer-generated scenarios to gradually face their fears while wearing headsets that place them in the immersive environments. Artificial intelligence-powered virtual reality exposure therapy (AI-VRET), adds on to virtual reality exposure therapy by enabling the therapist to modify the virtual reality environment by use of artificial intelligence in real-time. | Device | Artificial Intelligence-Powered Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (AI-VRET) |
Primary outcome
Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale-II (Y-BOCS-II)
Time frame: Visits 1 (baseline) & 14 (post-treatment assessment, approximately 14 weeks following baseline)
7 secondary outcomes
Florida Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory (FOCI)
Time frame: Visits 1 (baseline) & 14 (post-treatment assessment, approximately 14 weeks following baseline)
Adult OCD Impact Scale (OCD-IS):
Time frame: Visits 1 (baseline) & 14 (post-treatment assessment, approximately 14 weeks following baseline)
Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS)
Time frame: Visits 1 (baseline) & 14 (post-treatment assessment, approximately 14 weeks following baseline)
Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7):
Time frame: Visits 1-14 (all study visits). Visit 1 is at baseline, and subsequent visits are approximately one week apart. The final visit is approximately 14 weeks after baseline.
Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)
Time frame: Visits 1-14 (all study visits). Visit 1 is at baseline, and subsequent visits are approximately one week apart. The final visit is approximately 14 weeks after baseline.
Presence Questionnaire (PQ)
Time frame: Visits 2-13. Visit 2 is approximately one week following baseline, and subsequent visits are approximately one week apart. Visit 13 is approximately 13 weeks following baseline.
Cybersickness in Virtual Reality Questionnaire (CSQ-VR)
Time frame: Visits 2-13. Visit 2 is approximately one week following baseline, and subsequent visits are approximately one week apart. Visit 13 is approximately 13 weeks following baseline.
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 16 Oct 2026.
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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.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Traditional Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) and Artificial Intelligence-Powered Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (AI-VRET) in people with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), run by University of California, San Diego.
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 5 inclusion and 7 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: opening soon, as of the sponsor's last update on 16 Oct 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
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?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
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?
Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale-II (Y-BOCS-II) (time frame: Visits 1 (baseline) & 14 (post-treatment assessment, approximately 14 weeks following baseline)). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
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 16 Oct 2026.