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Enrolling by invitationNCT06314464PraxisUpdated Mar 18, 2024

Portable Mixed Reality-based Platform for Assessment of Progress in Multisensory Rehabilitation Strategies Post-TBI

An interventional study of Praxis and Supervised cardiovascular exercise in Brain Concussion, Vestibular Disorder and Cognition Disorder, sponsored by BlueHalo. Enrolling by invitation at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 50 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2024-03-18.

Sponsored by BlueHalo · Not applicable, Interventional, and Device feasibility

From the registry’s dates

  • Primary completion was expected by Apr 2025, 1 year 5 months ago, but the record still lists the study as enrolling by invitation.
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
30
Allocation
Non-randomized
Ages
18 Years to 50 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The goal of this comparative pilot study is to provide evidence that Praxis, a portable testbed with low-cost wearable sensors and a mixed reality environment, can deliver effective multisensory rehabilitation exercises with military face-validity in a military service member (SM) population after mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI).

The main questions this comparative pilot study aims to answer are:

  • Can the Praxis testbed provide feasible/acceptable 4-week multisensory rehabilitation for SMs with post-acute mTBI?
  • Can Praxis detect and influence measurable changes in readiness performance during mTBI recovery?

Fifteen SMs with post-acute mTBI from the Center for the Intrepid's Special Operations Performance and Recovery (SPaR) Program will participate in the multisensory vestibular rehabilitation regimen. These SMs will go through 4 weeks of multisensory vestibular rehabilitation including:

  • gaze stabilization
  • dual-task balance training
  • spatial navigation
  • agility training

Data from another fifteen SMs, who will not go through the multisensory rehabilitation regimen and will receive supervised cardiovascular exercise, will be used as the control group.

Researchers will compare the Praxis and Control group to determine if the Praxis group shows improvement over the control group with respect to the military-relevant behavioral performance outcomes and patient-reported symptom scores after the end of the rehabilitation.

Read the detailed description

This study considers Praxis: a portable testbed with low-cost wearable sensors and a mixed reality environment to deliver effective multisensory rehabilitation exercises with military face-validity. Through a small comparative pilot study, the investigators plan to provide evidence for future multi-center randomized trials (MCRTs) to show that progress in these multisensory exercises correlates with established military readiness assessments; and that the improvements in functional performance in response to multisensory rehabilitation strategies is associated with changes in brain activity.

In preparation for an MCRT, the investigators will conduct a pilot study to examine and settle the issues of feasibility and effectiveness of protocol implementation in accordance with best practices. In this study, we:

  • deliver a well-defined rehabilitation strategy via the Praxis system to the enable the patient to practice challenging rehabilitation tasks,
  • assess changes in neurophysiological activity via resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) over time in relation to the intensity of the rehabilitation strategy, and
  • assess sensitive behavioral outcome measures that monitor the SM's functional gains over time via a battery of military-relevant tasks.

Fifteen SMs with post-acute mTBI from the Center for the Intrepid's Special Operations Performance and Recovery (SPaR) Program will participate in the multisensory vestibular rehabilitation regimen. These SMs will go through 4 weeks of multisensory vestibular rehabilitation:

  • gaze stabilization
  • dual-task balance training
  • spatial navigation
  • agility training

Data from another fifteen SMs, who will not go through the multisensory rehabilitation regimen and will receive supervised cardiovascular exercise, will be used as the control group.

The first purposes of this study are to demonstrate the feasibility of obtaining a representative sample of SMs with and without vestibular/ocular impairments post-mTBI in a Special Operations population; determine whether the data is collected reliably; and establish compliance with the protocol in the 4-week study timeline. The primary endpoints for this study are feasibility/acceptability of the 4-week multisensory rehabilitation for SMs with post-acute mTBI as determined by compliance to daily rehabilitation doses as verified by the VestAid software and acceptability measured by the System Usability Scale (SUS) with success thresholds set at 80% or more of the target population completing all the doses and an average total score of 68 or above on the SUS assessment.

The second purpose of this study is to determine the average values and variations of the behavioral outcome measures before and after multisensory rehabilitation delivered by Praxis, as well as the changes in neurophysiological activity, and the correlation between the two. The investigators will use this information to determine the sample size required for a future, larger multicenter study.

The investigators aim to evaluate the effect size relating the implicated functional changes to recovery over the 4-week rehabilitation period in the military population under study. The secondary endpoints of this pilot study will comprise preliminary statistical insights into the ability of Praxis to detect and influence measurable changes in readiness performance during mTBI recovery. The collected metrics include longitudinal Praxis compliance score, pre- and post- behavioral outcome measurements from the readiness battery, and patient-perceived disability questionnaires. Between-group analyses will be conducted to determine the effect size of the Praxis protocol on both the military-relevant behavioral outcomes as well as the patient-reported symptom scores. Within the Praxis group, the investigators will perform an exploratory analysis to examine the correlations between the military-relevant behavioral outcome scores, Praxis compliance scores, and previously implicated objective neurophysiological measures.

02

Conditions studied

  • Brain Concussion
  • Vestibular Disorder
  • Cognition Disorder
  • Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

Keywords

  • Traumatic Brain Injury
  • Concussion
  • Dizziness
  • Vestibular Rehabilitation
03

In context

Vestibular Diseases

172 studies on the registry are indexed under Vestibular Diseases; 41 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 30 is below the median of 44 across 130 interventional studies indexed under Vestibular Diseases.

Browse Vestibular Diseases studies →

Lead sponsor

BlueHalo is the lead sponsor of 2 studies on the registry; 2 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 50 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria for Praxis Group:

  • Participating in the SPaR Program
  • 18-50 years old
  • Have a self-reported or clinician-confirmed mTBI
  • Have continued complaints of dizziness/imbalance
  • Are right-handed as determined by the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory-Short Form

Inclusion Criteria for Control Group:

  • Participating in the SPaR Program
  • 18-50 years old
  • No complaints of dizziness/imbalance

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Having impaired mental capacity (e.g., altered capacity due to administration of any mind-altering substances or stress/life situations)
  • Displaying behavior that would significantly interfere with validity of data collection or safety during the study
  • Reporting significant pain during the evaluation (7/10 by patient subjective report)
  • Being pregnant (balance considerations)
  • Being unable to abstain from the use of alcohol and medications that might impair participant's balance or cerebral blood flow for 24 hours in advance of testing
  • Being mixed or left-handed as determined by the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory-Short Form for the Praxis group undergoing rs-fMRI.
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Device feasibility
Allocation
Non-randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
30 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Praxis

    Fifteen SMs with post-acute mTBI and residual dizziness/imbalance complaints from the Center for the Intrepid's Special Operations Performance and Recovery (SPaR) Program will receive 4 weeks of Praxis intervention (45 minutes, 5 days per week)

    Device: Praxis

  • Active comparator
    Control

    Fifteen SMs without dizziness/imbalance complaints from the Center for the Intrepid's Special Operations Performance and Recovery (SPaR) Program will receive 4 weeks of supervised cardiovascular activity (45 minutes, 5 days per week)

    Behavioral: Supervised cardiovascular exercise

Interventions

  • DevicePraxis

    Praxis' gaze stabilization exercises are delivered via the tablet-based VestAid software that uses the tablet camera to automatically assess compliance in the conduct of vestibulo-ocular reflex exercises. The smooth pursuit, saccade, agility, and dual tasking exercises are delivered in the form of military-themed mixed reality games using the HTC Vive Focus 3 headset.

  • BehavioralSupervised cardiovascular exercise

    The supervised cardiovascular exercise does not incorporate gaze stabilization exercises (vestibulo-ocular reflex exercises) or smooth pursuit, saccade, agility, and dual tasking exercises.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Perceived usability of the Praxis system measured by the System Usability Scale (SUS)

    The System Usability Scale (SUS) provides an industry-standard reliable tool for measuring the usability of a system (unit of measurement: number, 0-100). This scale relates to the usability (e.g., feasibility) of the prototype device, and is not a health outcome.

    Time frame: Subjects will be tested after a 4-week intervention period

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) score

    The Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) is a 25-item self-assessment inventory designed to evaluate the self-perceived handicapping effects imposed by dizziness (unit of measurement: percentage, 0-100%)

    Time frame: Subjects will be tested before and after a 4-week intervention period

  2. Change in Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) score

    The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) is a self-rated questionnaire which assesses sleep quality and disturbances over the study time interval (unit of measurement: number, 0-21)

    Time frame: Subjects will be tested before and after a 4-week intervention period

  3. Change in Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7) score

    The Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7) is a self-administered patient questionnaire used as a screening tool and severity measure for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) (unit of measurement: number, 0-21)

    Time frame: Subjects will be tested before and after a 4-week intervention period

  4. Change in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Check List - Military Version (PCL-M) score

    The Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Check List - Military Version (PCL-M) assesses the presence and severity of PTSD symptoms as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders in military personnel (unit of measurement: number, 17-85)

    Time frame: Subjects will be tested before and after a 4-week intervention period

  5. Change in Vestibular Activities Avoidance Instrument-9 (VAAI-9) score

    The Vestibular Activities Avoidance Instrument-9 (VAAI-9) is a patient-reported outcome measure developed to identify fear avoidance beliefs in persons with vestibular disorders (unit of measurement: number, 0-54)

    Time frame: Subjects will be tested before and after a 4-week intervention period

  6. Change in Headache Impact Test-6 (HIT-6) score

    The Headache Impact Test-6 (HIT-6) was developed to measure a wide spectrum of the factors contributing to the burden of headache, and the HIT-6 has demonstrated utility for generating quantitative and pertinent information on the impact of headache. The HIT-6 consists of six items: pain, social functioning, role functioning, vitality, cognitive functioning, and psychological distress (unit of measurement: number, 36-78)

    Time frame: Subjects will be tested before and after a 4-week intervention period

  7. Change in Santa Barbara Sense of Direction Scale (SBSOD) score

    The Santa Barbara Sense of Direction Scale (SBSOD) is a standardized self-report scale of environmental spatial ability (unit of measurement: number, 1-7; the average of the 15 items)

    Time frame: Subjects will be tested before and after a 4-week intervention period

  8. Change in time required to perform 300-yard shuttle run (single- and dual-task)

    The 300-yard shuttle run is part of the Ranger Athlete Warrior assessments, and is used to measure anaerobic endurance. The 8-digit grid coordinate memorization task employed in the ReTURN study protocol has been added to provide a cognitive dual-task (unit of measurement: seconds)

    Time frame: Subjects will be tested before and after a 4-week intervention period

  9. Change in perceived fogginess

    Fogginess will be assessed by asking the subject to rate this symptom on a scale from 0 to 10 (as instructed in the Vestibular/Ocular Motor Screening \[VOMS\], incorporated into the Military Acute Concussion Evaluation 2). (unit of measurement: number, 0-10)

    Time frame: Subjects will be tested before and after a 4-week intervention period

  10. Change in time required to perform 5-10-5 shuttle run

    The 5-10-5 shuttle run is part of the Ranger Athlete Warrior assessments, and is used to measure change in direction / agility. (unit of measurement: seconds)

    Time frame: Subjects will be tested before and after a 4-week intervention period

  11. Change in score for 4-Item Hybrid Assessment of Mobility for mTBI (HAM-4-mTBI)

    The 4-Item Hybrid Assessment of Mobility for mTBI (HAM-4-mTBI) incorporates Functional Gait Assessment's Gait with Horizontal Head Turns and with Pivot Turn, and High Level Mobility Assessment Tool's Fast Forward and Backward Walk (unit of measurement: number, 0-14)

    Time frame: Subjects will be tested before and after a 4-week intervention period

  12. Change in time required to perform POrtable WARrior Test Of Tactical AgiLity (POWAR-TOTAL) (single- and dual-task)

    The POrtable WARrior Test Of Tactical AgiLity (POWAR-TOTAL) is a military-relevant assessment of agility (unit of measurement: seconds)

    Time frame: Subjects will be tested before and after a 4-week intervention period

  13. Change in Vestibular/Ocular Motor Screening (VOMS) total symptom score

    The Vestibular/Ocular Motor Screening (VOMS) total symptom score will be acquired using the Praxis system and include headache, dizziness, nausea, fogginess symptoms scores (unit of measurement: number, 0-40; the sum of the 4 items)

    Time frame: Subjects will be tested before and immediately after intervention

  14. Compliance with 20-minute daily dose of gaze stability exercises

    The compliance with 20-minute daily dose of gaze stability exercises will be acquired using the VestAid system and include the percentage of time (X minutes out of 20 minutes per day) that the subject performed assigned exercises (unit of measurement: percentage, 0-100%)

    Time frame: Acquired every 24 hours during the 4-week intervention period

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Brooke Army Medical Center
    Fort Sam Houston, Texas 78234, United States
08

References and documents

Publications

  • Hovareshti P, Roeder S, Holt LS, Gao P, Xiao L, Zalkin C, Ou V, Tolani D, Klatt BN, Whitney SL. VestAid: A Tablet-Based Technology for Objective Exercise Monitoring in Vestibular Rehabilitation. Sensors (Basel). 2021 Dec 15;21(24):8388. doi: 10.3390/s21248388. PubMed 34960480 ↗
  • Hoppes CW, Lambert KH, Whitney SL, Erbele ID, Esquivel CR, Yuan TT. Leveraging Technology for Vestibular Assessment and Rehabilitation in the Operational Environment: A Scoping Review. Bioengineering (Basel). 2024 Jan 25;11(2):117. doi: 10.3390/bioengineering11020117. PubMed 38391603 ↗
  • Whitney SL, Ou V, Hovareshti P, Costa CM, Cassidy AR, Dunlap PM, Roeder S, Holt L, Tolani D, Klatt BN, Hoppes CW. Utility of VestAid to Detect Eye-Gaze Accuracy in a Participant Exposed to Directed Energy. Mil Med. 2023 Jul 22;188(7-8):e1795-e1801. doi: 10.1093/milmed/usac294. PubMed 36208334 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Mar 18, 2024, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT06314464
Lead sponsor
BlueHalo
Collaborators
Brooke Army Medical Center, University of Pittsburgh
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Mar 18, 2024
Start date
Feb 12, 2024
Primary completion
Apr 30, 2025 (estimated)
Completion
Sep 30, 2025 (estimated)
Last update
Mar 18, 2024

Study contacts

Pedram Hovareshti, PhD
principal investigator · BlueHalo

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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