AnxEPI-VR
Analysis
STUDY OVERVIEW
SUMMARY
For many people with epilepsy, anxiety about seizure-related situations can be more disabling than the condition itself, and few treatments address this directly. We developed and tested a virtual reality exposure therapy (VR-ET) program using a multi-stage co-design process with people with epilepsy. Our pilot study included identifying key fear triggers and creating 360-degree VR scenarios (dinner parties, malls, subway environments) and testing them in a home-based setting. We then conducted a randomized controlled trial in an epilepsy monitoring unit where participants watched either the VR-ET or control (nature-based) VR videos twice daily for the length of their stay.
ClinicalTrials ID: NCT05296057
KEY FINDINGS
VR exposure therapy had strong adherence, with participants consistently completing sessions, and was well tolerated. It showed promise for reducing epilepsy-related anxiety and felt realistic and relevant. Participants reported better understanding their fears, learning coping strategies, and realizing feared outcomes often did not happen. Many were interested in using VR on their own or as part of therapy. Future work will include larger studies and more intense, varied scenarios, including social situations and simulated seizure experiences, to confirm clinical effects.
PUBLICATIONS
Gray, H. G., Tchao, D., Lewis-Fung, S., Carman-Gray, G., Pardini, S., Harris, L. R., & Appel, L. (2026). Phase 3 AnxEpiVR VR therapy trial. Epilepsy & Behavior Reports, 100845. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ebr.2025.100845
Gray, H. G., Tchao, D., Lewis-Fung, S., Pardini, S., Harris, L. R., & Appel, L. (2023). VR therapy for epilepsy anxiety: Protocol. JMIR Research Protocols, 12, e41523. https://doi.org/10.2196/41523
Lewis-Fung, S., Tchao, D., Gray, H. G., Nguyen, E., Pardini, S., Harris, L. R., & Appel, L. (2023). VR exposure therapy design for epilepsy anxiety. Frontiers in Virtual Reality, 4, 1209535. https://doi.org/10.3389/frvir.2023.1209535
Tchao, D., Gray, H. G., Lewis-Fung, S., Pardini, S., Harris, L. R., & Appel, L. (2023). Phase 1 AnxEpiVR study. Epilepsy & Behavior Reports, 100588. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ebr.2023.100588
PARTNERS
FUNDERS
