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Virtual Reality in Children with and Without Vestibular Deficits

Not Applicable
Recruiting
Conditions
Vestibular Diseases
Interventions
Diagnostic Test: Vestibular tests
Other: Virtual reality
Registration Number
NCT04791748
Lead Sponsor
Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris
Brief Summary

Vestibular information is important in establishing a child's static and dynamic postural control. Any vestibular deficit can have major consequences on development, spatial cognition and quality of life.

In order to interact with the world around us, we must simultaneously integrate different sources of sensory informations (vision, hearing, perception of the body...). The brain integrates these different sensory components to form a unified and coherent perception: this is multisensory integration.

Multisensory integration has been studied using virtual reality in adults, in the "spatial orientation" team of the Center for Integrative Neurosciences and Cognition. These experiments were carried out on healthy subjects and in weightless situations (international space station or parabolic flight). However, no protocol has been developed in children or in subjects with vestibular deficit. Virtual reality is interesting for developing such a protocol because it creates multisensory stimulation capable of promoting visual and proprioceptive compensation of the vestibular deficit.

It induces an immersion of the patient in a virtual spatial and temporal environment difficult to carry out with traditional vestibular rehabilitation techniques. Its main advantage is that it is a fun and safe interactive diagnostic and therapeutic tool, which is particularly suitable for children. Being able to modulate certain sensory information using virtual reality, in children without vestibular function deficit and in children with vestibular function deficit, will make it possible to better understand the role of the vestibule in the construction of the self in relation to space and environment. In addition to the scientific aspect, the diagnostic and therapeutic benefits are potentially numerous.

The objective of the study is to determine a reliable, well-tolerated and age-appropriate virtual reality protocol in children without vestibular deficit and in children with chronic vestibular deficit, making it possible to study the hand-eye coordination.

Detailed Description

Vestibular information is important in establishing a child's static and dynamic postural control. Any vestibular deficit can have major consequences on development, spatial cognition and quality of life.

In order to interact with the world around us, we must simultaneously integrate different sources of sensory informations (vision, hearing, perception of the body ...). The brain integrates these different sensory components to form a unified and coherent perception: this is multisensory integration.

It is particularly important in children for the acquisition of sitting, standing and then walking. When a congenital vestibular deficit exists, adaptive behaviors using visual and proprioceptive inputs are set up.

Multisensory integration has been studied using virtual reality in adults, in the "spatial orientation" team of the Center for Integrative Neurosciences and Cognition. These experiments were carried out on healthy subjects and in weightless situations (international space station or parabolic flight). However, no protocol has been developed in children or in subjects with vestibular deficit. Virtual reality is interesting for developing such a protocol because it creates multisensory stimulation capable of promoting visual and proprioceptive compensation of the vestibular deficit.

It induces an immersion of the patient in a virtual spatial and temporal environment difficult to carry out with traditional vestibular rehabilitation techniques. Its main advantage is that it is a fun and safe interactive diagnostic and therapeutic tool, which is particularly suitable for children. Being able to modulate certain sensory information using virtual reality, in children without vestibular function deficit and in children with vestibular function deficit, will make it possible to better understand the role of the vestibule in the construction of the self in relation to space and environment. In addition to the scientific aspect, the diagnostic and therapeutic benefits are potentially numerous.

The objective of the study is to determine a reliable, well-tolerated and age-appropriate virtual reality protocol in children without vestibular deficit and in children with chronic vestibular deficit, making it possible to study the hand-eye coordination.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
RECRUITING
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
140
Inclusion Criteria
  • Minors aged 7 to 17 years (inclusive)
  • Volunteers adult
  • Information and consent of holders of parental authority of minors, minors and of adult subjects

Patients :

  • Presence of unilateral or bilateral chronic vestibular pathology
  • Minor patients followed in consultation at Necker Hospital in the Pediatric ENT department
  • Adult patients followed at adult vestibulometry services (Lariboisière and Pitié Salpêtrière Hospitals)

Controls:

  • No history of otological surgery and absence of vestibular pathology
  • Patients followed in consultation at Necker Hospital, siblings or adult parents
Exclusion Criteria
  • Presence of an ophthalmological pathology (including refractive errors)
  • Presence of neurological pathology including epilepsy or any pathology that can alter mobility and interfere with the performance of tasks

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
ControlsVirtual realityPatients aged 7 to 17 years without chronic vestibular deficits
Patients with chronic vestibular deficitsVirtual realityPatients aged 7 to 17 years with chronic vestibular deficits
Patients with chronic vestibular deficitsVestibular testsPatients aged 7 to 17 years with chronic vestibular deficits
ControlsVestibular testsPatients aged 7 to 17 years without chronic vestibular deficits
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Degree of precisionDay 0

Doing a task involving hand-eye coordination, in virtual reality, and in different sensory situations. Rate of errors during the test

Degree of reproducibilityDay 0

Doing a task involving hand-eye coordination, in virtual reality, and in different sensory situations. Success rate for each task is measured

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Compare the success rate in eye-hand coordinationDay 0

Compare eye-hand coordination in :

* children without vestibular pathology and in children with vestibular déficits.

* children with vestibular deficits and in adults with vestibular déficits.

* children without vestibular pathology and in adults without vestibular déficits.

* adults without vestibular pathology and in adults with vestibular déficits. Success rate for each task will be measured and compared between groups.

Correlate virtual reality results with vestibular test resultsDay 0

Correlation between success rate during virtual reality and vestibular function (normal vestibular function or not in both ears).

Stratify responses to virtual reality by ageDay 0

Patients without chronic vestibular déficits. Comparison of success rate according to age.

Occurrence of side effects of virtual realityDay 0

Possible side effects of virtual reality.

Children's satisfaction concerning the virtual reality protocolDay 0

Open satisfaction questionnaire analysis

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades

🇫🇷

Paris, France

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