P.086 Randomized controlled trial evaluating virtual reality exposure therapy on epilepsy/seizure-specific interictal anxiety in people with epilepsy

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Background: Over 28% of people with epilepsy (PwE) experience anxiety related to their seizures, yet research on interventions for epilepsy-specific (ES) interictal anxiety remains limited. The community-based pilot, ’AnxEpi-VR,’ tested virtual reality exposure therapy (VR-ET), showing potential effectiveness and laying the groundwork for evaluating its impact on ES-anxiety in the present randomized controlled trial. Methods: Fourteen PwE admitted to the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit at Toronto Western Hospital used a 360-degree VR-intervention twice daily for five minutes up to ten days. The control group (n=7) viewed neutral VR environments (e.g., beach, forest scenes), while the experimental group (n=7) experienced VR-ET targeting ES anxiety (e.g., subway seizure scenarios). Data was collected at baseline, pre and post-VR exposure, post-intervention, and one-month follow-up using self-report questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and VR-usage metrics. Clinicaltrials.gov NCT06028945. Results: At baseline, 71% of the control group and 83% of the exposure group had a brEASI score ≥7, indicative of an anxiety disorder. Post-intervention, this decreased to 57% and 50%, respectively. The average Fast Motion Sickness rating was 1.29, indicating minimal motion sickness. Of the exposure participants, 71% felt the scenarios simulated their real-world anxiety triggers. Conclusions: VR-ET was well-tolerated in PwE. Future recommendations include diversifying scenarios, adding interactive features, and improving software connectivity.

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