Virtual Reality for Neurorehabilitation and Cognitive Enhancement

Abstract

Our access to computer-generated worlds changes the way we feel, how we think, and how we solve problems. In this review, we explore the utility of different types of virtual reality, immersive or non-immersive, for providing controllable, safe environments that enable individual training, neurorehabilitation, or even replacement of lost functions. The neurobiological effects of virtual reality on neuronal plasticity have been shown to result in increased cortical gray matter volumes, higher concentration of electroencephalographic beta-waves, and enhanced cognitive performance. Clinical application of virtual reality is aided by innovative brain–computer interfaces, which allow direct tapping into the electric activity generated by different brain cortical areas for precise voluntary control of connected robotic devices. Virtual reality is also valuable to healthy individuals as a narrative medium for redesigning their individual stories in an integrative process of self-improvement and personal development. Future upgrades of virtual reality-based technologies promise to help humans transcend the limitations of their biological bodies and augment their capacity to mold physical reality to better meet the needs of a globalized world.

Virtual Reality-Based Therapy Improves Fatigue, Impact, and Quality of Life in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis. A Systematic Review with a Meta-Analysis

“…Some examples of this technology are the Oculus Quest or HTC Vive. It has been argued that VR-based therapy promotes neuronal plasticity, modulates synaptic transmission and neuronal excitability, reorganizes synaptic connections and neuronal morphology, and reshapes dendritic spines [26].…”

Virtual reality and annotated radiological data as effective and motivating tools to help Social Sciences students learn neuroanatomy

“…One of the advantages of VR is that it provides the opportunity to practice situations that are potentially dangerous to practice in real life or cannot be experienced physically (e.g., physical inaccessibility). The use of VR has been suggested to be a valuable asset for a broad variety of challenges, including treatment of gambling addiction 17 and depression 18 , neurorehabilitation 19 , 20 and pain reduction 21 . In medical educational research, VR has been reported to have a positive effect on learning abilities 22 – 25 .…”

Virtual Brainstorming and Creativity: An Analysis of Measures, Avatars, Environments, Interfaces, and Applications

“…Immersive VR is described as a computer-simulated stage wherein users can interact with an immersive virtual environment (VE) using special electronic equipment, such as a head-mounted display and/or gloves fitted with sensors in a virtual space (Burdea and Coiffet, 2003;Gong and Georgiev, 2020). Non-immersive VR refers to using a desktop or laptop screen to show the users the three-dimensional (3D) VE (Georgiev et al, 2021). In the past 20 years, the use of VR to enhance the creativity has been far from new.…”

“…He proposed four central guidelines: criticism is ruled out, freewheeling is welcomed, quantity is wanted, combination and improvement are sought (Osborn, 2012). Virtual reality (VR) is a high-end user interface that involves real-time simulation and interaction through multiple sensory channels (vision, sound, touch, smell, taste) (Burdea, 1999), including immersive VR and non-immersive VR, which adopted in different fields (Georgiev et al, 2021;Georgiev, 2020, 2019). Immersive VR is described as a computer-simulated stage wherein users can interact with an immersive virtual environment (VE) using special electronic equipment, such as a head-mounted display and/or gloves fitted with sensors in a virtual space (Burdea and Coiffet, 2003;Gong and Georgiev, 2020).…”