Assessing Electroencephalography as a Stress Indicator: A VR High-Altitude Scenario Monitored through EEG and ECG

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychophysiology
• Virtual Reality

Background:

• Virtual reality (VR) offers accessible simulation of unfeasible or risky scenarios.
• Head-mounted display (HMD) technologies enable immersive stress induction for research.
• Previous electroencephalography (EEG) stress research primarily used social or mathematical challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate physiological stress responses using VR-induced high-altitude scenarios.
• To monitor electroencephalography (EEG) and electrocardiography (ECG) biomarkers in real-time during stress.
• To explore the relationship between EEG/ECG biomarkers and perceived stress.

Main Methods:

• Combined wearable EEG and ECG sensors with a VR headset for stress provocation.
• Implemented a signal processing pipeline for noise reduction in EEG data.
• Utilized statistical and correlation analyses to link biomarkers with stress levels.

Main Results:

• Statistically significant EEG biomarker differences were observed between participant groups based on heart rate increase.
• Occipital region band power changes and asymmetry alterations correlated with height-related stress.
• Observed brain activation in beta and gamma bands corresponded with self-reported stress levels.

Conclusions:

• VR-based high-altitude simulation effectively induces measurable stress responses.
• Specific EEG patterns, particularly in the occipital region, are associated with height-induced stress.
• Integrated wearable sensing provides a viable method for real-time psychophysiological stress monitoring.