/ Forschung
Swiss National Science Foundation supports research project of Markus Gerber
The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) provides funding for an innovative research project of Prof. Dr. Markus Gerber over a period of four years. The funding amounts to a total of CHF 430,000. Zoé Holland-Cunz is taking over the operational management of the study as part of her dissertation project.
The PEPC-project (Playful Exergaming in Psychiatric Care) intends to investigate the effects of virtual reality (VR)-based exergaming in adults with major depressive disorders (MDD). The project is important because today, there is no empirical evidence that such kind of training intervention is effective in adults with MDD. We will therefore compare VR-based exergaming against traditional exercise training and a non-exercise control condition. At the same time, the projects intends to shed light on the possible mechanisms of action, to examine to what degree VR-based exergaming contributes to the adoption of a more physically active lifestyle, and to explore how VR-based exergaming is perceived by patients and clinical staff members via a nested qualitative study.
VR-based exergames typically include skill-related components of coordination, balance, agility, power, and reaction-time, and can thus be used for motor-learning (e.g. reaction time, coordination, balance), which is a particular advantage in people with motor, cognitive and sensory deficits. Exergaming typically refers to a specific type of gaming that consists of a combination of the interactive and cognitively challenging elements of video games and physical exercise that requires physical effort from the player to play the game.
The study is a collaborative project with two psychiatric hospitals, namely the UPK Basel (Prof. Dr. Annette Brühl, Prof. Dr. Undine Lang, Prof. Dr. Anne Eckert) and the Clinic Sonnenhalde Riehen (PD Dr. Johannes Beck, Dr. Anja Oswald, Dr. Ann-Cathrine Schreiner). The study is designed as a two-center randomized controlled trial. The intervention phase will last for 6 weeks, with three exercise sessions per week. The follow-up data assessment will take place 6 months after discharge. Overall, 120 patients will be recruited (n=30 per group).