The Feasibility and Test-Retest Reliability of Wireless Dry-Electrode EEG During a Dynamic Psychomotor Virtual Reality Task

Abstract

Purpose

Virtual reality (VR) offers immersive environments for studying psychomotor performance, but the reliability of dry-electrode electroencephalography (EEG) in assessing brain activity during dynamic VR exergames (VRex) remains unclear. The present study investigated the feasibility and reliability of dry-electrode EEG frequency band, with primary focus on alpha band activity.

Methods

Ten amateur combat sports male participants (37 ± 11 years) volunteered for this study. The feasibility of dry-electrode EEG recording during motion and test-retest (24 h) reliability, was investigated. EEG measurements were obtained pre, post, and throughout a standardized boxing focus ball VRex session, comprising three 3-min rounds interspersed with 1-min rest intervals. EEG data were analyzed globally and at each electrode site, calculating average power spectral density values.

Findings

ICCs data indicated poor-to-excellent (0.208–0.858) reliability across all measurements within the 4- to 30-Hz frequency range. Poor-to-good reliability (0.393–0.636) was found across the task-active VRex intervals. Electrode sites ranged in reliability from poor (electrode P3; 0.262) to excellent (electrode P4; 0.728), with higher reliability found in the alpha band across electrode sites compared to average spectral band values.

Conclusion

The present study demonstrates the feasibility, although variable reliability, in neuronal detection during a dynamic VR task, using novel dry-electrode EEG technology.