NeuroTrainer VR program for students with attention challenges
Official title: A Feasibility and Efficacy Study of NeuroTrainer Cognitive Training in Students With and Without Attention-Related Difficulties
Funded at Neurotrainer INC · NIH-11174437 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A virtual-reality NeuroTrainer program combines movement and varied attention games to help children and adolescents with ADHD improve focus and school performance.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Sbir 1 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Neurotrainer INC NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Francisco, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2024 |
| Project end | August 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $259,481 |
| NIH project number | 5R43MH135599-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11174437 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are school-aged children and adolescents who have ADHD or noticeable inattention at school and can participate in VR sessions at their school.
✕Less likely to help
Adults, children outside the enrolled age range, or students with severe comorbid conditions that prevent using VR or following the program may not benefit.
What this research studies
You or your child would use a VR headset at school to play attention and executive-control games that include physical activity, variable task demands, and prolonged practice near a performance challenge. The study plans to enroll about 155 students with and without attention difficulties and deliver NeuroTrainer sessions in school settings. Researchers will measure attention, executive function, and classroom behaviors to see if training transfers to real-world academic skills. The team aims to develop a commercially viable intervention based on prior feasibility work in schools.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the program could improve attention, executive skills, and classroom behavior without adding medications.
How similar studies have gone: Previous cognitive training studies have had mixed results for real-world transfer, though early NeuroTrainer testing in school settings showed feasibility and encouraging signals.
Where this research is happening
-
Neurotrainer INC
San Francisco, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Nyquist, Jeff — Neurotrainer INC
- Study coordinator: Nyquist, Jeff
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Using virtual reality to improve attention in children with ADHD
This study is looking at how a fun virtual reality game called NeuroTrainer can help kids with ADHD improve their focus and thinking skills, and it will include 155 students to see how well it works in schools.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.