Using exergames to support older adults with psychosis
Official title: Feasibility of Exergame-based Cognitive-motor Training in Older Psychotic Inpatients: a Randomized Controlled Trial
Run by University Psychiatric Clinics Basel · NCT07060742 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project will test whether combining exergames with a falls-prevention program can help people aged 55 and older with psychosis improve mobility, thinking, and everyday functioning.
Quick facts
| Study type | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Ages | 55 Years and up |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 32 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | University Psychiatric Clinics Basel Research network |
| Locations | 1 site (Basel, Canton of Basel-City) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | June 9, 2025 |
| Main results expected | May 15, 2027 |
| Study ends | May 15, 2028 |
| Registry record updated | July 16, 2025 |
| Trial ID | NCT07060742 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Ideal candidates are people aged 55 or older with a diagnosed psychotic disorder who can give informed consent, speak German, have a MoCA score of 20 or above, and can stand for at least three minutes without support.
✕Probably not a fit
People with severe mobility, cognitive, sensory, or psychiatric limitations that prevent playing the exergames or completing assessments, those with insufficient German language skills, or those with MoCA scores below 20 are unlikely to benefit from this program.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
This interventional program pairs Dividat Senso exergames with the OTAGO falls-prevention program for older adults who have psychotic disorders. Participants who can consent, speak German, are aged 55 or older, have a MoCA score of 20 or higher, and can stand unassisted for at least three minutes will take part in supervised, in-person training sessions and pre/post assessments. Outcomes will include measures of balance, gait, cognitive performance, fall risk, and daily functioning. The approach targets physical and cognitive rehabilitation alongside standard psychiatric care to address mobility decline, cognitive symptoms, and social isolation common in this group.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could improve balance and cognition, reduce fall risk, and enhance daily functioning and quality of life for older adults with psychosis.
How similar studies have gone: Some studies in older adults and in people with cognitive impairment suggest exergames can improve balance and cognition, but applying this combined exergame-plus-falls-prevention approach specifically to older adults with psychosis is relatively novel and not well established.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Diagnosed psychotic disorders * Able to provide a signed informed consent * Age ≥ 55 years * MoCA ≥ 20 * Physically able to stand for at least 3 minutes without external support (self-report) Exclusion Criteria: * Insufficient knowledge of the German language to understand the instructions, the games, and the assessments * Mobility, cognitive, sensory and/or psychiatric limitations or comorbidities that impair the ability to play the exergames and/or conduct the pre-/post assessments
Where it's running
-
Universitäre Psychiatrischen Kliniken (UPK) Basel
Basel, Canton of Basel-City, Switzerland Recruiting
Study contacts
- Study coordinator: Tobias Melcher, Dr. Dipl.-Psych.
- Email: tobias.melcher@upk.ch
- Phone: +41 61 325 5163
Similar studies
Other studies for the same condition or treatment. Recruiting studies are listed first.
-
Examining the effects of combined therapy for schizophrenia
This study is testing whether combining two therapies, one for managing thoughts and another for improving cognitive skills, can help people with schizophrenia do better in their daily lives compared to using just one of the therapies.
-
State Representation in Early Psychosis 2
This observational study tests how people with early psychosis and healthy individuals use state information during tasks and how brain activity supports it.
-
Recovery-oriented suicide prevention for young people at clinical high risk for psychosis
This program tests a peer-supported, clinician-led suicide prevention group for young people at clinical high risk for psychosis to see if it helps reduce suicidal thoughts and support recovery.
-
Combined brain stimulation and yoga for improving cognition in psychosis
This study tests whether active brain stimulation plus yoga can improve thinking skills and daily function in adults with psychosis.
-
See if an early-detection program reduces time to treatment for first-episode psychosis
We test whether a large, region-wide early-detection program can shorten the time from first psychotic symptoms to treatment and help people function better later.
-
Cerebellar imaging markers to predict antipsychotic response in first-episode psychosis
This will test whether cerebellar brain scans can predict how people with first-episode psychosis respond to 12 weeks of treatment with risperidone or aripiprazole.
How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.