Environmental neuroscience unravels the pathway from the physical environment to mental health

Kühn, Simone; Gallinat, Jürgen

doi:10.1038/s44220-023-00137-6

Cited by 7 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 71 publications

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“…In recent years, a growing body of scholarship that empirically examines neurophysiological responses to the built environment has begun to emerge [1,2]. These studies provide evidence that visual exposure to biophilic design features, or spatial designs that either integrate live organic material or imitate patterns found in nature (biophilic design [3]), may reduce physiological stress, a biological response wherein the body's systems undergo changes to cope with perceived threats or challenges [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Architectural Neuroimmunology: A Pilot Study Examining the Impact of Biophilic Architectural Design on Neuroinflammation

Valentine,

Steffert,

Mitcheltree

et al. 2024

Buildings

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Recent research in architectural neuroscience has found that visual exposure to biophilic design may help reduce occupant physiological stress responses. However, there are still significant gaps in our understanding of the complex ways in which biophilic design impacts on building occupant neurophysiology. The relationship between visual exposure to biophilic design and neurophysiological responses such as neuroinflammation have yet to be directly investigated. This paper examines the results of a pilot study that was established to investigate the relationship between visual exposure to biophilic design and neuroinflammation, as mediated by physiological stress responses. The pilot study utilised a 32-channel quantitative electroencephalograph (qEEG) to assess the relative changes in neuroinflammatory markers (relative alpha and relative delta power band activity) of 10 participants while they were exposed to 2D digital images of buildings that visually expressed varying degrees of biophilic design. Participants exhibited a decrease in relative delta power when exposed to higher levels of biophilic design. No statistically significant changes in relative alpha power were observed. These findings suggest that exposure to buildings with higher degrees of biophilia may result in decreased neuroinflammatory activity. In doing so, this research works to further develop our understanding of the complex ways in which the built environment impacts on occupant neuroinflammation and physiological stress.

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