Balance reactions to moving visual patterns in people with concussion and other dizziness

Is this trial a fit for you?

A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.

What this trial studies

Researchers will expose participants to optokinetic stimulation delivered either by a physical rotating disk or a virtual reality headset showing bright moving dots while recording postural sway and documenting symptoms such as dizziness, headache, and nausea. The study enrolls adults with persistent symptoms after a concussion, adults with non‑traumatic dizziness (including vestibular migraine), and healthy control participants for comparison. Objective balance measures and symptom ratings will be compared across groups to identify patterns associated with visually induced dizziness. The overall aim is to develop clearer, objective markers that could complement current questionnaire‑based diagnosis.

Why it matters

Who can join: the full rules

Inclusion Criteria:

* Age between 18 and 60 years
* Binocular vision
* Recent concussion/mTBI within 4 weeks to 18 months post-injury for concussed patients
* Diagnosis related to dizziness or VID within 4 weeks to 18 months for non-concussed dizzy patients (including vestibular migraine)
* Signed ICF for included participants or signed general consent for retrospectively included patients if an ICF cannot be obtained.

Exclusion Criteria:

* BMI greater than 30
* Acute vestibular syndrome lasting at least 24 hours
* Severe non-correctable visual impairment
* Balance issues not dizziness-related, including:

  1. Neurological conditions (e.g., migraine)
  2. Orthopaedic conditions (e.g., lower extremity injury)
  3. Infectious diseases
  4. Other medical contexts
* Dizziness attributed to prescribed drugs, substance abuse, or mental disorders
* Cognitive impairments compromising task comprehension
* Preceding history of traumatic brain injury in the last 12 months
* History of severe traumatic brain injury with persisting impairments
* Other potentially confounding problems (e.g., psychiatric disease)
* Frequent episodes of rotatory vertigo

Where it's running

• BrainCare Medical Group
  Zurich, Canton of Zurich, Switzerland Recruiting
• University Hospital Zurich, Department of Neurology
  Zurich, Canton of Zurich, Switzerland Recruiting

Study contacts

• Study coordinator: Dominik Straumann, Prof. Dr. med.
• Email: Dominik.Straumann@uzh.ch
• Phone: +41 44 255 55 64

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How to take part

1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
2. Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
3. Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.