Journal of medical extended reality最新文献

{"title":"Virtual Reality in Cognitive Rehabilitation: A Pilot Study on Usability and Preliminary Clinical Outcomes in Seniors with Mild Cognitive Impairment.","authors":"Jose Ferrer Costa, Maria Jose Ciudad, Maribel González Abad, José Luis Rodríguez García","doi":"10.1089/jmedxr.2024.0051","DOIUrl":"10.1089/jmedxr.2024.0051","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>With the global population rapidly aging, cognitive decline, including mild cognitive impairment (MCI), is becoming increasingly common. MCI impacts essential cognitive functions like memory and attention, significantly reducing the quality of life for those affected and increasing the burden on healthcare systems. Virtual reality (VR) has emerged as a promising tool for enhancing cognitive rehabilitation by creating immersive and engaging environments. This pilot study aimed to evaluate the usability, acceptability, and preliminary cognitive benefits of VR-based cognitive stimulation exercises for older adults with MCI. The intervention consisted of eight VR and augmented reality sessions over 4 weeks, integrating interactive tasks and 360-degree videos tailored to enhance cognitive flexibility, visuospatial processing, and memory. Forty-five participants enrolled, with 40 completing the full intervention and final postevaluation, and usability feedback was collected from 42 participants, including two who completed partial sessions. Usability was assessed using an adapted System Usability Scale (SUS). Patients rated the VR content (81.9) and headset usability (86.5) highly reflecting strong engagement and comfort. Four healthcare professionals also provided a high SUS score (85.2), emphasizing the program's clinical relevance and feasibility for integration into rehabilitation workflows. Cognitive assessments indicated a modest improvement in Trail Making Test A scores (<i>p</i> = 0.037), which may suggest enhanced cognitive flexibility. Other measures, including Mini-Mental State Examination, Montreal Cognitive Assessment, Digit Span, and Symbol Digit Modalities Test, showed trends toward improvement but did not reach statistical significance. These exploratory findings align with the short duration of the intervention and the study's feasibility focus. The iterative, user-centered design process ensured the intervention was accessible, safe, and adaptable to participants' needs and clinical workflow. These findings suggest that VR-based cognitive stimulation programs are highly usable and acceptable and show potential for improving cognitive performance in older adults with MCI. Further research with larger sample sizes and longer intervention periods is warranted to evaluate clinical impact and functional outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":517437,"journal":{"name":"Journal of medical extended reality","volume":"2 1","pages":"30-42"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13387245/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148681879","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"<i>LawVerse</i>: The Legal Framework for Clinical Metaverse Content.","authors":"Barbara Pasa, Alessandro Bernes, Andrea Gaggioli, Emanuele Tuccari, Fabiana Zollo, Giorgia Vulpiani, Loris Pignolo, Antonio Scala, Antonio Cerasa","doi":"10.1089/jmedxr.2024.0028","DOIUrl":"10.1089/jmedxr.2024.0028","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The term <i>MedVerse</i> has been coined to describe how the infrastructure layers of the metaverse can be adopted in the health care sector, to enable the distribution of contents and interact with patients. In the last 2 years, a large amount of proof-of-concept metaverse-based technologies and applications have been proposed in several medical realms. However, the advent of such an expensive, hypercomplex technology promoted as a new instrument with a strong incentive to invest time and money in digital items (driving revenue for some categories) poses several legal challenges. Here, we discuss the main legal issues (the so-called <i>LawVerse</i>) related to their application to the clinical metaverses realms.</p>","PeriodicalId":517437,"journal":{"name":"Journal of medical extended reality","volume":"2 1","pages":"13-19"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13393000/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148681537","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"\"I Feel like the Virtual Reality Really Gives You that Power Back\": A Focus Group Study Exploring Breast Cancer Surgery Patients' Experiences with a Preoperative Virtual Reality Intervention.","authors":"Gabrielle S Logan, Jada Benedictson, Kristin Reynolds, Kailey Penner, Renée El-Gabalawy","doi":"10.1089/jmedxr.2024.0042","DOIUrl":"10.1089/jmedxr.2024.0042","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Patients undergoing oncological surgery often experience elevated anxiety, partly due to the novel hospital environments (e.g., operating room [OR]). Virtual reality (VR) may be a practical and immersive way to expose patients to such triggering environments before surgery to address this anxiety. However, patient perspectives are often underrepresented in the development of these interventions, and patient feedback is essential to ensure their relevance and utility. A randomized clinical feasibility trial investigated the use of a preoperative VR OR prototype intervention with breast cancer patients undergoing surgery. Participants who indicated interest in participating in related studies were invited to take part in either an in-person (for treatment as usual [TAU] to trial the VR OR postsurgery) or a virtual (previously received preoperative VR intervention) focus group. These were audiorecorded, transcribed, and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. The primary objectives were to understand patients' experiences with the VR intervention and gain patient feedback for future VR and study development. Ten participants from the feasibility study participated in one of four focus groups, six from the intervention group and four from the TAU group. Themes identified across focus groups included: (1) individuality shapes the VR experience, (2) wanting to know what to expect, (3) \"a little more in charge of what's going on,\" and (4) \"perspective of being on the (operating) table.\" The VR intervention was generally viewed positively and seen as a valuable resource. The focus groups were useful in deciphering patient suitability through discussion of individual differences and highlighting the benefits of the intervention, such as education, exposure to the OR, and facilitating a sense of autonomy and empowerment. While participants endorsed the VR intervention's current utility, they also provided meaningful suggestions for enhancement based on their lived experience. As new technologies such as VR are developed, it is essential to incorporate patient perspectives to ensure that these innovations effectively meet patient needs.</p>","PeriodicalId":517437,"journal":{"name":"Journal of medical extended reality","volume":"2 1","pages":"1-12"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13387239/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148681894","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Acceptance of Virtual Reality Among Adults with Rheumatologic Conditions.","authors":"Kimberly B Garza, Heqin Yang, Alexicia Richardson, Cheryl Seals, Gary Hawkins, Chad G Rose, Willliam B Nowell, Kelly Gavigan, Patrick Stewart, Liana Fraenkel, Jeffrey R Curtis","doi":"10.1089/jmxr.2024.0024","DOIUrl":"10.1089/jmxr.2024.0024","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Risk communication to patients with rheumatologic conditions is difficult. Virtual reality (VR) has demonstrated utility as a delivery mechanism for patient education, but user acceptance of this technology for applications such as communicating risks and benefits of health care interventions and medical treatments has been poorly studied. We aimed to assess the acceptability of VR as an educational tool among people with rheumatologic conditions and to compare acceptability among those who had used VR in the past to those who are VR naïve. A cross-sectional, web-based survey was conducted, sampling two populations: members of an online patient-powered research network (registry) that included adults with rheumatologic conditions, and patients within a large U.S. community rheumatology practice-based research network. Survey items included patient demographic and clinical characteristics, prior VR experience, perceived usefulness for learning about their condition, anticipated enjoyment, and willingness to use VR to manage disease. A total of 3927 individuals completed the survey. Overall, 14.9% reported having prior experience using VR, and of these, 54.0% had used it only one to two times. Twenty-nine percent of participants agreed that VR would be useful for learning about their condition (25.4% of VR naïve, 49.0% of VR experienced [<i>p</i> < 0.001]), while the majority of participants (62.6%) were unsure (66.1% of VR naïve, 42.7% of VR experienced [<i>p</i> < 0.001]). More than one-third (38.9%) of participants agreed that they would enjoy using VR for this purpose (35.3% of VR naïve, 59.7% of VR experienced [<i>p</i> < 0.001]), while 47.8% were unsure (51.1% of VR naïve, 28.2% of VR experienced [<i>p</i> < 0.001]). Most study participants (86.0%) reported willingness to use VR to manage their disease, regardless of prior experience. Even among those with no prior experience using VR, people with rheumatologic conditions report acceptance of VR to manage their condition. These findings support further exploration of the potential value of interventions that introduce VR to this patient population for use in learning about and managing their disease.</p>","PeriodicalId":517437,"journal":{"name":"Journal of medical extended reality","volume":"1 1","pages":"282-289"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13390694/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148681882","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Extended Reality Analgesia Evidence Reviews Often Lack Sufficient Intervention Detail.","authors":"Susan Persky, Megan G Jiao","doi":"10.1089/jmxr.2024.0043","DOIUrl":"10.1089/jmxr.2024.0043","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Evidence synthesis projects such as systematic reviews and meta-analyses are defined by the focal research question addressed through assemblage and analysis of all relevant literature. In complex intervention domains such as medical extended reality (MXR), there are a plethora of intervention factors that could be included in research questions, which define study inclusion criteria and, in turn, shape the generalizability of results. This article quantifies how recently published evidence syntheses of MXR interventions for pain management characterize the primary studies they assess.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>Inclusion criteria for analysis consisted of English-language scoping reviews, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses, published in 2021-2023, that evaluated MXR-based interventions for pain management in any setting. We employed quantitative content analysis to assess characterization of intervention features.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of the 61 synthesis publications that met inclusion criteria, 29 (48%) included only minimal description of MXR intervention content, 14 (23%) included substantial content descriptions, and the remainder did not describe intervention content within synthesized studies. Hardware details were reported for 15 (25%) of publications in a minimal way, 28 (46%) in a substantial way, and not reported in 18 (30%) of syntheses. Among the 39 papers that included a meta-analysis, 10 (25%) explicitly evaluated the role of intervention features in intervention efficacy.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Findings suggest considerable variability in the characterization of intervention elements (content and hardware), which can limit accurate conclusions about the generalizability of synthesis findings. Accordingly, we make recommendations to guide future evidence syntheses in the MXR domain.</p>","PeriodicalId":517437,"journal":{"name":"Journal of medical extended reality","volume":"1 1","pages":"290-305"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11694079/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142934393","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Artificial Intelligence Enhanced Virtual Reality: A Personalized, Multilingual Approach to Pain Management.","authors":"Oranicha Jumreornvong, Hanchen Mao, Gonzalo Povea Galdo, Taraf Jaro, Kaitlyn Schuler, Christopher L Robinson, Qing Zhao Ruan","doi":"10.1089/jmxr.2024.0038","DOIUrl":"10.1089/jmxr.2024.0038","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In this commentary, we introduce the artificial intelligence (AI) integration of generative virtual reality (VR) and multilingual voice cloning as a novel approach to personalized pain management. Globally, pain impacts billions of people daily. AI generated VR technology has the potential to modulate pain and enhance cognitive engagement through rapid design and personalization, and AI voice cloning uses familiar, multilingual voices to offer both neurological and psychological support. Through demonstration of our prototypes' videos, we aim to explain how a combination of personalized AI text to 3-dimensional generated VR landscape and AI cloned voices could potentially reduce pain by providing personalized, emotionally supportive treatment that targets psychological and emotional factors in chronic pain. Our next steps include conducting feasibility and clinical trials to validate the technology's effectiveness across various cultural and health care settings.</p>","PeriodicalId":517437,"journal":{"name":"Journal of medical extended reality","volume":"1 1","pages":"276-281"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-11-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13387217/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148681898","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A Personalized Approach Using an N-of-1 Trial of Virtual Reality Hypnosis for Persistent Dyspnea.","authors":"Nils Siegenthaler, Hugo Bothorel, Oliver Alan Kannape, Capucine Morelot-Panzini, Dan Adler","doi":"10.1089/jmxr.2024.0029","DOIUrl":"10.1089/jmxr.2024.0029","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Persistent dyspnea is associated with major suffering in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. Addressing this clinical challenge requires personalized approaches that account for individual variability in treatment response. N-of-1 trials offer a promising method to evaluate interventions tailored to individual patients. This study utilizes N-of-1 trials to assess the effect of virtual reality hypnosis (VRH) therapy on persistent dyspnea to inform personalized therapeutic decisions. Two COPD patients with persistent dyspnea participated in N-of-1 trials, each consisting of four counterbalanced periods of exposure to different virtual reality conditions (period A: VRH; period B: a distractive, pleasant drone ride) over 2 consecutive days. Through patient-generated problem-specific questionnaires, outcomes were evaluated on a 6-point Likert scale. Results showed significant reductions in dyspnea intensity and improved well-being during VRH for one patient, while the other reported improved well-being without significant changes in dyspnea. Our report illustrates the potential of N-of-1 trials in evaluating personalized treatment efficacy, highlighting the importance of customized approaches when conventional treatments have been exhausted. Incorporating N-of-1 trials of alternative treatments in the dyspnea clinic may enhance patient outcomes and satisfaction by tailoring interventions to individual patient needs.</p>","PeriodicalId":517437,"journal":{"name":"Journal of medical extended reality","volume":"1 1","pages":"271-275"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-11-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13390696/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148681889","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Feasibility and Usability of an Artificial Intelligence-Enabled Conversational Agent in Virtual Reality for Patients with Alcohol-Associated Cirrhosis: A Multi-Methods Study.","authors":"Yee Hui Yeo, Allistair Clark, Muskaan Mehra, Itai Danovitch, Karen Osilla, Ju Dong Yang, Alexander Kuo, Hyun-Seok Kim, Aarshi Vipani, Yun Wang, Walid Ayoub, Hirsh Trivedi, Jamil S Samaan, Tiffany Wu, Vijay H Shah, Omer Liran, Brennan Spiegel","doi":"10.1089/jmxr.2024.0033","DOIUrl":"10.1089/jmxr.2024.0033","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background & aims: </strong>Patients with alcohol-associated cirrhosis often lack access to effective interventions to prevent drinking. We assessed the feasibility and usability of an artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled conversational agent in virtual reality to deliver self-administered mental health support.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Our multidisciplinary team combined spatial computing and AI to deliver an immersive form of cognitive behavioral therapy and motivational interviewing using established relapse prevention protocols. Participants engaged with the program privately for 30 min, followed by a semistructured interview. Usability was measured with the intervention usability scale (IUS). Thematic content analysis of interviews was conducted to extract themes and insights.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of 20 participants, 50% reported active alcohol use. The median Model for End-Stage Liver Disease 3.0 score was 22. All participants used the full 30 min of psychotherapy; no severe adverse events were reported. The IUS score was acceptable (≥75) in 78% of participants. Thematic analysis distilled 509 first-level codes into nine overarching themes. The program quickly established rapport, providing positive reinforcement and actionable goals perceived as nonjudgmental. About 80% felt themselves open up to the avatar; 85% reported the experience as beneficial and noted belief in potential efficacy. Many endorsed the privacy, accessibility, and immersion of the program. While a minority preferred human therapists and noted shortcomings in the program, 90% expressed interest in further use.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Combining spatial computing and AI is perceived to be a safe, acceptable, easy-to-use, nonjudgmental, and immersive form of self-administered psychotherapy among patients with alcohol-associated cirrhosis. Studies to examine the impact on cessation are needed.</p>","PeriodicalId":517437,"journal":{"name":"Journal of medical extended reality","volume":"1 1","pages":"257-270"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-11-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13387230/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148681885","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Recall of Psychotherapy Information and Immersiveness in a Virtual Reality Application for Cancer-Related Chronic Pain.","authors":"Alwin Chuan, Melissa Hatty, Mike Shelley, Angus Wilson, Angela Lan, Anton Bogdanovych","doi":"10.1089/jmxr.2024.0019","DOIUrl":"10.1089/jmxr.2024.0019","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>There is increasing interest in the use of virtual reality (VR) as a modality to provide health interventions to patients. An unmet need in patients with cancer-related chronic pain is the availability of effective nondrug, pain psychology-based therapies that improve function and quality of life. To address this need, we previously created a custom-made VR program that teaches how to self-administer progressive muscle relaxation and guided pain visualization therapy in patients with cancer. We sought to determine if knowledge retrieval of these therapies is affected when comparing the same content delivered via a VR head-mounted display and hand motion controllers (\"VR group\") or via 2D monitor and keyboard/mouse on a traditional personal computer (\"PC Monitor group\").</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Randomized controlled study of healthy volunteers divided into VR group and Monitor group. Primary outcome was multiple-choice question scores between groups at two time periods (immediately after use and 2 weeks follow-up) testing knowledge recall of the therapies. Secondary outcomes were levels of immersion and satisfaction.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Forty healthy adults were recruited. Participants rated the VR-based version as highly immersive compared with the PC Monitor version (<i>p</i> < 0.001). There was no difference in knowledge retrieval both between groups (<i>p</i> = 0.98) and within groups (<i>p</i> = 0.58) after adjusting for age, education, and video game experience. Both the VR and PC groups had no quantitative difference in satisfaction (<i>p</i> values all >0.06) but qualitatively preferred the VR for clinical use despite more feedback on cybersickness side effects.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study provided further evidence on how to implement VR in clinical settings to improve acceptability and equivalency to traditional methods of chronic pain education.</p>","PeriodicalId":517437,"journal":{"name":"Journal of medical extended reality","volume":"1 1","pages":"249-256"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-11-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13387226/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148681856","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comprehensive Assessment of Physiological and Psychological Responses to Virtual Reality Experiences.","authors":"Valentin Fauveau, Anastasia K Filimonov, Renata Pyzik, James Murrough, Laurie Keefer, Omer Liran, Brennan Spiegel, Filip K Swirski, Zahi A Fayad, Wolfram C Poller","doi":"10.1089/jmxr.2024.0020","DOIUrl":"10.1089/jmxr.2024.0020","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Virtual reality (VR) has emerged as a technology with huge improvements in the last few years, offering immersive experiences and paving the way for novel applications across various fields. In the medical field, VR is advancing at a notable rate, allowing for new innovations ranging from pain treatment to rehabilitation and showing its potential to reconfigure the brain to modify how our mind perceives our body and environment. The immersive nature of VR can be reflected in people's physiological and psychological responses, making stress management a key focus to obtain potentially transformative effects as a regulatory stress treatment. This pilot study focuses on a comprehensive assessment, both physiologically and psychologically, of the impact of stressful versus relaxing VR experiences. Our exploratory study examines the effectiveness of this emerging technology in manipulating stress levels in a group of 20 healthy volunteers. In a randomized cross-over design, each subject was exposed to both experiences in two independent sessions, during which their physiological signals were continuously measured. Additionally, blood draws and psychological tests were obtained before and after each VR experience. The results show physiological changes consistent with the paradigm of the experience and supported by self-reported psychological scores. Laboratory findings reveal statistical differences in cortisol levels when comparing changes in the Stress versus Relax experience. Additionally, statistically significant changes in white blood cell counts are observed when comparing pre- versus post-Stress VR. These results provide a first attempt to explore how VR scenarios can modulate individual stress levels and the immune response. Future exploratory avenues may include the implementation of VR-based treatments for stress modulation aimed at mitigating the detrimental effects of stress on mental health, cardiovascular disease, and the immune system.</p>","PeriodicalId":517437,"journal":{"name":"Journal of medical extended reality","volume":"1 1","pages":"227-241"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13387228/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148681843","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}