Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 5, 2026
Virtual Prism Adaptation Therapy: Protocol for Validation in Healthy Adults
Published on: February 12, 2020
Feasibility and exploratory outcomes of immersive VR intervention on brain functional networks and clinical symptoms
Shuyang Zheng1, Hongtao Hou1, Yulin Cao1
1Department of Radiology, Tongde Hospital of Zhejiang Province Affiliated to Zhejiang Chinese Medical University (Tongde Hospital of Zhejiang Province), Hangzhou, China.
Background:
Current evaluations of immersive virtual reality (VR) interventions for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) primarily rely on subjective clinical scales. This pilot study investigated the effects of an immersive VR intervention on brain functional networks in children with ADHD using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) degree centrality (DC) and how they correlate with clinical symptoms.
Methods:
Fourteen children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD group) and 13 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HC group) were recruited. All participants underwent rs-fMRI examinations within 2 days of baseline clinical assessment. DC values were calculated to evaluate spontaneous neural activity. Children in the ADHD group received a 16-week immersive VR intervention, administered once weekly for 30 minutes per session. The intervention comprised firefly cave navigation tasks and daily scenario-based social skills training. The study analyzed baseline differences in DC values between the two groups, as well as changes in clinical scores and DC values in the ADHD group before and after the intervention. Additionally, correlation analysis was performed to explore the association between changes in DC values and behavioral indicators.
Results:
At baseline, the ADHD group had significantly higher CPT and SNAP-IV inattention/hyperactivity scores (P<0.05), with abnormal degree centrality (DC) in cortico-striatal, cerebellar and prefrontal regions. After VR intervention, the ADHD group showed significant reductions in all clinical scores (P<0.05), accompanied by decreased DC in the right cuneus and left cerebellar Crus II area; only SNAP-IV inattention scores remained higher than HC group (P= 0.009). Changes in right cuneus DC were positively correlated with SNAP-IV inattention changes (r=0.64, P=0.013), and right middle orbitofrontal gyrus DC was positively correlated with CPT scores (r=0.57, P=0.033).
Conclusion:
In this pilot study, immersive VR intervention alleviated core ADHD symptoms. In addition, dynamic changes in degree centrality within specific brain regions may serve as potential neuroimaging biomarkers for monitoring therapeutic responses to VR intervention in children with ADHD.
