ClinicalTrials.gg
Not yet recruitingNCT07710222Updated Jul 17, 2026

Cognitive Stimulation Program With Virtual Reality for Older Adults With Depressive Symptoms

An interventional study of Cognitive stimulation program in Depressive Symptoms, sponsored by Grupo Lusófona. Not yet recruiting. Open to participants aged 65 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-07-17.

Sponsored by Grupo Lusófona · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
60
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
65 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The aim of this pilot RCT is the development, implementation, and evaluation of a cognitive stimulation program with virtual reality for individuals aged 65 or older who have depressive symptoms and attend Portuguese day centers. The program aims to promote their cognitive functioning, well-being and functionality, and to reduce their depressive symptoms. A pilot study of the program will be conducted to assess its feasibility and preliminary efficacy.

02

Conditions studied

  • Depressive Symptoms

Keywords

  • Depression
  • Cognitive functioning
  • Well-being
  • Functionality
  • Mental health
  • Cognitive stimulation program
  • Virtual reality
  • Older adults
03

In context

Depression

8,577 studies on the registry are indexed under Depression; 1,720 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 60 is below the median of 81 across 7,063 interventional studies indexed under Depression.

Browse Depression studies →

Lead sponsor

Grupo Lusófona is the lead sponsor of 10 studies on the registry; 5 are open to participants now.

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

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
65 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Individuals aged 65 years or older attending Portuguese day care centers;
  • Presence of mild, moderate, or severe depressive symptomatology;
  • Language skills and visual acuity.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Individuals presenting illiteracy and/or medical diagnosis of neurocognitive disorder or significant cognitive deficits ()
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(1)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

MMSE and MoCA

Short tests of memory and thinking, each scored out of 30. Lower scores suggest more difficulty; criteria give a range, either to include people with memory problems or to leave them out.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Single (Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
60 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Cognitive stimulation + VR

    Participants receive a cognitive stimulation program with virtual reality.

    Behavioral: Cognitive stimulation program

  • No intervention
    Wait-list Control

    Participants assigned to the waitlist control condition remain on the waitlist throughout the study and are offered the intervention upon completion of the post-intervention assessment phase.

Interventions

  • BehavioralCognitive stimulation program

    Twelve group sessions of a cognitive stimulation program with virtual reality.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Adherence

    The proportion of participants who complete all intervention sessions. Adherence will be considered achieved if at least 70% of participants complete all scheduled sessions.

    Time frame: Throughout the intervention period (6 weeks)

  2. Acceptability and Feasibility

    Acceptability and feasibility will be assessed through Theoretical Framework of Acceptability Questionnaire (TFA). All items are assessed on a 5-point Likert scale, with scores ranging from 1 to 5. Scores range from 7 to 35, with higher scores indicating better acceptability and feasibility.

    Time frame: Post-intervention (at week 7)

  3. Acceptability and perceived barriers (semi-strutured interviews)

    Acceptability of the intervention will be assessed through semi-structured interviews conducted with each participant after the intervention. The interviews will explore participants' overall evaluation of the program, including its perceived relevance, satisfaction with the intervention, and willingness to continue or recommend it. Perceived barriers to implementation will also be explored by asking participants to describe any difficulties or challenges they experienced during their participation.

    Time frame: Post-intervention (at week 7)

Secondary outcomes

  1. Depressive symptoms

    Changes in depressive symptoms will be assessed using the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15), a 15-item questionnaire with yes/no responses, with total scores ranging from 0 to 15, where higher scores indicate greater depressive symptomatology.

    Time frame: Baseline, post-intervention (at week 7) and follow-up (3 months)

  2. Well-being

    Changes in well-being will be assessed using the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS). The scale consists of 14 items rated on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (never) to 5 (always), with total scores ranging from 14 to 70. Higher scores indicate greater levels of well-being.

    Time frame: Baseline, post-intervention (at week 7) and follow-up (3 months)

  3. Functionality

    Changes in functional ability will be assessed using the Lawton and Brody Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) Scale. The scale consists of 8 items and total score ranges from 8 to 30 points, with 8 indicating independence, scores between 9 and 20 indicating moderate dependence and scores above 20 indicating severe dependence.

    Time frame: Baseline, post-intervention (at week 7) and follow-up (3 months)

  4. Global cognitive functioning

    Changes in cognitive functioning will be assessed using the total score of the Neuropsychological Assessment Questionnaire that assesses multiple cognitive functions. The total score ranges from 0 to 112 points, with higher total scores indicating better cognitive performance.

    Time frame: Baseline, post-intervention (at week 7) and follow-up (3 months)

  5. Visual attention and processing speed

    Changes in visual attention and processing speed will be assessed using the Trail Making Test Part A (TMT-A). Performance is measured by the time required to complete the test, with longer completion times indicating poorer visual attention and processing speed.

    Time frame: Baseline, post-intervention (at week 7) and follow-up (3 months)

  6. Executive functioning and cognitive flexibility

    Changes in executive functioning and cognitive flexibility will be assessed using the Trail Making Test Part B (TMT-B). Performance is measured by the time required to complete the test, with longer completion times indicating poorer executive functioning and cognitive flexibility.

    Time frame: Baseline, post-intervention (at week 7) and follow-up (3 months)

  7. Frontal executive functioning

    Changes in executive functioning will be assessed using Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB), a brief screening tool composed of 6 subtests. Total scores range from 0 to 18, with higher scores indicating better executive functioning.

    Time frame: Baseline, post-intervention (at week 7) and follow-up (3 months)

  8. Attention and immediate verbal memory

    Changes in attention and immediate verbal memory will be assessed using the Digit Span Forward subtest of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-III (WAIS-III). Performance is measured by the number of correctly recalled digit sequences, with higher scores indicating better attention and immediate verbal memory.

    Time frame: Baseline, post-intervention (at week 7) and follow-up (3 months)

  9. Working memory

    Changes in working memory will be assessed using the Digit Span Backward subtest of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-III (WAIS-III). Performance is measured by the number of correctly recalled digit sequences in reverse order, with higher scores indicating better working memory performance.

    Time frame: Baseline, post-intervention (at week 7) and follow-up (3 months)

07

Study locations

No study locations are listed for this record.

08

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Jul 17, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
09

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07710222
Lead sponsor
Grupo Lusófona
Collaborators
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Responsible party
Sofia Borges de Sousa (PhD Student, Grupo Lusófona) — Principal investigator
First posted
Jul 17, 2026
Start date
Sep 2026 (estimated)
Primary completion
Mar 2027 (estimated)
Completion
Mar 2027 (estimated)
Last update
Jul 17, 2026

Oversight

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

Not currently enrolling

This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Jul 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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