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Movement Imitation in a Virtual Reality Environment Increases Cardiac Sympathetic Activity
Topic
Session
ePoster Viewing
Presenter
Yuya Sakaguchi

Movement Imitation in a Virtual Reality Environment Increases Cardiac Sympathetic Activity

Yuya Sakaguchi1, Ayumi Muramatsu2, Yusuke Yamamoto3, Ken Okutani1, Shogo Hiragami1, Yuko Mizuno-Matsumoto2

1 Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Rehabilitation, Hyogo Medical University, Japan

2 Graduate School of Information Science, University of Hyogo, Japan

3 Department of Medical Engineering, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aino University, Japan

Introduction: The clinical applications of virtual reality (VR) are rapidly advancing in the field of occupational therapy. To establish this, the neurophysiological effects of VR should be investigated.

Objectives:This study aimed to investigate the effects of movement imitation in a VR environment on autonomic nervous activity as measured by electrocardiography.

Methods: Twelve healthy participants (aged 24.58±1.97 years) performed an upper extremity task for 180 s under three experimental conditions. In the movement imitation conditions, participants used either a head-mounted (HMD) or tablet (TD) display. In the movement execution condition, participants referred to the text (TXT). The upper-extremity task comprised finger flexion, block transportation, and cup transportation. Power spectral values in the LF (0.04–0.15 Hz), HF (0.15–0.40 Hz), and LF/HF ratio were calculated using a fast fourier transform (FFT). HF and the LF/HF ratio indicate parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous activity, respectively. Statistical analysis was performed using multiple comparisons to evaluate the differences between experimental conditions. The significance level was set at p = 0.05. All the participants signed an informed consent form before participating in the study.

Results: The LF/HF ratio was significantly higher in the HMD condition than in the TXT and TD conditions. Contrastingly, the LF and HF values were not significantly different among all the conditions.

Conclusion: Movement imitation in a VR environment increases the cardiac sympathetic nervous activity associated with arousal and concentration. This finding suggests that such an approach may enhance participants' engagement in occupational therapy programs.