Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning Province, China.
Trials. 2023 May 23;24(1):349. doi: 10.1186/s13063-023-07227-x.
Night shift work-related disturbed biological rhythm and insufficient sleep affect the functioning of brain activity and thus impair cognitive performance and mood state, which potentially leads to negative and even devastating results for both individuals and patients. A virtual reality (VR)-based restorative environment has shown to be an effective new technique to reduce stress and improve cognitive performance, but little is known about its mechanism of improving neuronal activity and connectivity.
This is a randomized, controlled, single-center clinical trial. A total of 140 medical staff will be enrolled and randomized in a 1:1 allocation to either the VR immersion group (intervention group) or the control group. In the morning after the night shift, the participants in the intervention group will watch 360° panoramic videos of immersive VR natural restorative environments for 10 min, while the participants in the control group will just rest for 10 min. Assessments of abbreviated Profile of Mood States Questionnaire (POMS) and verbal fluency task (VFT) performances, as well as oxygenated hemoglobin (oxy-Hb) and deoxygenated hemoglobin (deoxy-Hb) and total hemoglobin concentration acquired by functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) will be performed at baseline (day work), the morning after night shift but before the intervention (previous) and after intervention (post). Data collected after a night shift will be compared to baseline performance as well as between the two groups.
This trial will investigate the effects of the night shift and VR-based restorative environment intervention on mood, cognitive performance, and neuronal activity and connectivity. A positive result in this trial could encourage hospitals to apply VR technology to reduce physical and mental dysfunction during of night shifts among medical staff in every department. Furthermore, the findings from this study will contribute to understanding the underlying neuromodulation mechanisms of how restorative environments influence mood and cognition.
Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2200064769 . Registered on 17 October 2022.
夜班工作相关的生物节律紊乱和睡眠不足会影响大脑活动的功能，从而损害认知表现和情绪状态，这可能会给个人和患者带来负面甚至灾难性的后果。基于虚拟现实（VR）的恢复环境已被证明是一种有效的新技术，可以减轻压力和提高认知表现，但对于改善神经元活动和连接的机制知之甚少。
这是一项随机、对照、单中心临床试验。将招募 140 名医务人员，并按照 1:1 的比例随机分配到 VR 沉浸式组（干预组）或对照组。在夜班后的早晨，干预组的参与者将观看 10 分钟的沉浸式 VR 自然恢复环境的 360°全景视频，而对照组的参与者只需休息 10 分钟。在基线（工作日）、夜班后但干预前（前）和干预后（后）进行简短心境状态问卷（POMS）和言语流畅性任务（VFT）表现评估，以及功能近红外光谱（fNIRS）获得的氧合血红蛋白（oxy-Hb）、去氧血红蛋白（deoxy-Hb）和总血红蛋白浓度。夜班后收集的数据将与基线表现以及两组之间进行比较。
本试验将研究夜班和基于 VR 的恢复环境干预对情绪、认知表现以及神经元活动和连接的影响。如果本试验结果为阳性，可以鼓励医院应用 VR 技术来减少各科室医务人员夜班期间的身心功能障碍。此外，本研究的结果将有助于理解恢复环境如何影响情绪和认知的潜在神经调节机制。
中国临床试验注册中心 ChiCTR2200064769。注册于 2022 年 10 月 17 日。
