Manipulating cybersickness in virtual reality-based neurofeedback and its effects on training performance

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Virtual Reality

Background:

• Virtual reality (VR) enhances neurofeedback (NF) and brain-computer interface (BCI) applications, improving user motivation.
• A significant challenge in VR is cybersickness (CS), affecting 20%-80% of users with symptoms like nausea and disorientation.
• CS can negatively impact user performance and behavior within VR environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if cybersickness-inducing virtual reality (VR) paradigms affect the success of neurofeedback (NF) training.
• To compare NF training outcomes in high CS-inducing versus low CS-inducing VR environments.
• To analyze the influence of gender on CS experience and NF performance.

Main Methods:

• 39 healthy participants completed a single-session VR-based NF study.
• Participants were divided into two groups: high CS-inducing VR (varied movement, FOV, camera angle) and low CS-inducing VR (constant parameters).
• NF training involved increasing sensorimotor rhythm (SMR) over 6 runs, with heart rate and subjective CS assessed.

Main Results:

• The high CS-inducing condition led to more reported CS nausea symptoms.
• Women experienced greater CS, higher heart rates, and poorer NF performance than men.
• Despite CS differences, SMR activity during NF training was comparable between groups, with both improving SMR over time.

Conclusions:

• Cybersickness symptoms in VR do not inherently impair neurofeedback/brain-computer interface training success.
• VR shows potential for BCI and NF applications, but individual differences in CS susceptibility require consideration.
• Further research can refine VR paradigms for effective and comfortable BCI/NF training.