The analgesic effects and neural oscillatory mechanisms of virtual reality scenes based on distraction and mindfulness strategies in human volunteers
Authors' conclusion
Distinct neural mechanisms are responsible for VR-induced analgesia, deepening our understanding of the analgesic benefits of VR and its neural electrophysiological correlates.
Study context
- Population
- Healthy adult volunteers exposed to contact heat pain stimuli
- Comparison
- Virtual reality (VR) vs Active control vs Passive control
- Outcome
- Pain intensity and unpleasantness (contact heat)
Methodological detailsthree experiments, 32-channel EEG
- Three experiments
- 32-channel EEG
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Reduced pain intensity rating correlated with decreased P2 amplitude
r=0.433
P<0.001
Reduced pain intensity rating correlated with increased pre-stimulus spontaneous gamma oscillations
r=−0.339
P=0.004
Further findings
VR exploration vs VR mindfulness meditation scenes (Experiment 3)
- VR exploration: strong immersion associated with increased pre-stimulus gamma oscillations
- r=0.529, P<0.001
- VR mindfulness meditation: minor effect on immersion but strong pre-stimulus alpha oscillations
- r=−0.550, P<0.001
- Comparable analgesic effect of the two scenes
Original publication
The analgesic effects and neural oscillatory mechanisms of virtual reality scenes based on distraction and mindfulness strategies in human volunteers. Br J Anaesth. Published 3 October 2023. doi:10.
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