The Immediate Effects of Immersive Virtual Reality on Autonomic Nervous System Function in Patients with Disorders of Consciousness after Severe Acquired Brain Injury: A Pilot Study
Disorders of Consciousness (DoCs) after severe acquired brain injury involve substantial impairment of cognition and physical functioning, requiring comprehensive rehabilitation and support. Technological interventions, such as immersive Virtual Reality (VR), have shown promising results in promotin...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-12-01
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| Series: | Journal of Clinical Medicine |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/12/24/7639 |
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| author | Giuseppe Reale Augusto Fusco Rossella Calciano Noemi Vallario Gabriele Vagnarelli Pietro Caliandro Letizia Castelli Marco Moci Gaetano Tieri Luigi Iasevoli Luca Padua |
| author_facet | Giuseppe Reale Augusto Fusco Rossella Calciano Noemi Vallario Gabriele Vagnarelli Pietro Caliandro Letizia Castelli Marco Moci Gaetano Tieri Luigi Iasevoli Luca Padua |
| author_sort | Giuseppe Reale |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Disorders of Consciousness (DoCs) after severe acquired brain injury involve substantial impairment of cognition and physical functioning, requiring comprehensive rehabilitation and support. Technological interventions, such as immersive Virtual Reality (VR), have shown promising results in promoting neural activity and enhancing cognitive and motor recovery. VR can induce physical sensations that may activate the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) and induce ANS-regulated responses. This study aimed to investigate the effects of immersive VR on the ANS in patients with DoCs through the analysis of the electrodermal activity (EDA). EDA was measured with a wearable device during a single immersive VR session consisting of static and dynamic videos depicting naturalistic environments. A pilot case–control study was conducted with 12 healthy participants and 12 individuals with DoCs. Results showed higher EDA values in patients than in healthy participants (<i>p</i> = 0.035), suggesting stronger autonomic activation during immersive VR exposure, while healthy subjects, in turn, showed a decrease in EDA values. Our results revealed a significant interaction between conditions and groups (<i>p</i> = 0.003), with patients showing significantly increased EDA values from the baseline compared to dynamic video observation (<i>p</i> = 0.014) and final rest (<i>p</i> = 0.007). These results suggest that immersive VR can elicit sympathetic arousal in patients with DoCs. This study highlights the potential of immersive VR as a tool to strengthen autonomic responses in patients with impaired consciousness. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T20:38:54Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7052fa29fa084eb1874ba836213fd8d3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-0383 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T20:38:54Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Clinical Medicine |
| spelling | doaj.art-7052fa29fa084eb1874ba836213fd8d32023-12-22T14:17:17ZengMDPI AGJournal of Clinical Medicine2077-03832023-12-011224763910.3390/jcm12247639The Immediate Effects of Immersive Virtual Reality on Autonomic Nervous System Function in Patients with Disorders of Consciousness after Severe Acquired Brain Injury: A Pilot StudyGiuseppe Reale0Augusto Fusco1Rossella Calciano2Noemi Vallario3Gabriele Vagnarelli4Pietro Caliandro5Letizia Castelli6Marco Moci7Gaetano Tieri8Luigi Iasevoli9Luca Padua10UOC Neuroriabilitazione ad Alta Intensità, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Largo Agostino Gemelli 8, 00168 Rome, ItalyUOC Neuroriabilitazione ad Alta Intensità, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Largo Agostino Gemelli 8, 00168 Rome, ItalyDepartment of Geriatrics and Orthopaedics, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, ItalyDepartment of Geriatrics and Orthopaedics, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, ItalyDepartment of Geriatrics and Orthopaedics, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, ItalyUOC Neurologia, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, 00168 Rome, ItalyUOC Neuroriabilitazione ad Alta Intensità, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Largo Agostino Gemelli 8, 00168 Rome, ItalyUOC Neuroriabilitazione ad Alta Intensità, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Largo Agostino Gemelli 8, 00168 Rome, ItalyVirtual Reality and Digital Neuroscience Lab, Department of Law and Digital Society, University of Rome Unitelma Sapienza, Piazza Sassari, 4, 00161 Rome, ItalyMultiple Sclerosis Unit, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, 00179 Rome, ItalyUOC Neuroriabilitazione ad Alta Intensità, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Largo Agostino Gemelli 8, 00168 Rome, ItalyDisorders of Consciousness (DoCs) after severe acquired brain injury involve substantial impairment of cognition and physical functioning, requiring comprehensive rehabilitation and support. Technological interventions, such as immersive Virtual Reality (VR), have shown promising results in promoting neural activity and enhancing cognitive and motor recovery. VR can induce physical sensations that may activate the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) and induce ANS-regulated responses. This study aimed to investigate the effects of immersive VR on the ANS in patients with DoCs through the analysis of the electrodermal activity (EDA). EDA was measured with a wearable device during a single immersive VR session consisting of static and dynamic videos depicting naturalistic environments. A pilot case–control study was conducted with 12 healthy participants and 12 individuals with DoCs. Results showed higher EDA values in patients than in healthy participants (<i>p</i> = 0.035), suggesting stronger autonomic activation during immersive VR exposure, while healthy subjects, in turn, showed a decrease in EDA values. Our results revealed a significant interaction between conditions and groups (<i>p</i> = 0.003), with patients showing significantly increased EDA values from the baseline compared to dynamic video observation (<i>p</i> = 0.014) and final rest (<i>p</i> = 0.007). These results suggest that immersive VR can elicit sympathetic arousal in patients with DoCs. This study highlights the potential of immersive VR as a tool to strengthen autonomic responses in patients with impaired consciousness.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/12/24/7639skin conductance responseimmersive virtual realitydisorder of consciousnessautonomic nervous systemelectrodermal activity |
| spellingShingle | Giuseppe Reale Augusto Fusco Rossella Calciano Noemi Vallario Gabriele Vagnarelli Pietro Caliandro Letizia Castelli Marco Moci Gaetano Tieri Luigi Iasevoli Luca Padua The Immediate Effects of Immersive Virtual Reality on Autonomic Nervous System Function in Patients with Disorders of Consciousness after Severe Acquired Brain Injury: A Pilot Study Journal of Clinical Medicine skin conductance response immersive virtual reality disorder of consciousness autonomic nervous system electrodermal activity |
| title | The Immediate Effects of Immersive Virtual Reality on Autonomic Nervous System Function in Patients with Disorders of Consciousness after Severe Acquired Brain Injury: A Pilot Study |
| title_full | The Immediate Effects of Immersive Virtual Reality on Autonomic Nervous System Function in Patients with Disorders of Consciousness after Severe Acquired Brain Injury: A Pilot Study |
| title_fullStr | The Immediate Effects of Immersive Virtual Reality on Autonomic Nervous System Function in Patients with Disorders of Consciousness after Severe Acquired Brain Injury: A Pilot Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Immediate Effects of Immersive Virtual Reality on Autonomic Nervous System Function in Patients with Disorders of Consciousness after Severe Acquired Brain Injury: A Pilot Study |
| title_short | The Immediate Effects of Immersive Virtual Reality on Autonomic Nervous System Function in Patients with Disorders of Consciousness after Severe Acquired Brain Injury: A Pilot Study |
| title_sort | immediate effects of immersive virtual reality on autonomic nervous system function in patients with disorders of consciousness after severe acquired brain injury a pilot study |
| topic | skin conductance response immersive virtual reality disorder of consciousness autonomic nervous system electrodermal activity |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/12/24/7639 |
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