Virtual and augmented reality in neuroscience
Panagiotis E. Antoniou, Alkinoos Athanasiou, Panagiotis D. Bamidis · 2020
Neuroscience encompasses the interpretive layers of a person with the environment, implemented as the central and peripheral nervous systems. In neuroscientific research, normal and abnormal neurophysiological function is studied for diagnosis, or altered through treatment by affecting paired or evoked responses from environmental sensory input. With the advent of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), as human-computer interaction (HCI) modalities of highly immersiveness and malleability, a new avenue for previously unfeasible environmental input has been realized. This chapter explores the potential of VR/AR in the axes that these modalities are currently being deployed in neuroscience. Virtual reality environments (VREs) are implemented as alternative customizable platforms for brain-computer interface (BCI) applications but are also exploited in neurorehabilitation paradigms. In medical neurosciences, VR/ AR have proven added value in the visualization of the nervous system both for operative enhancement and for surgical training. Additionally, in medical education there is a strong case to be made in favor of the “virtual lab” (VL) for neuroanatomy offering added value to teaching of the complexity of the neural structures and networks. Furthermore, the controllability of VREs and VR/AR render them excellent candidates for studying cognition through event related potentials (ERPs). Finally, we explore the combined role of VR/AR and affect in educational and internal learning processes, aiming toward an integrated sensor immersion ecosystem.