Using virtual reality to augment the CNS
The use of virtual environments can elicit the brains natural ability to adapt perception. Perception can be defined as the organization of visual, vestibular and somatosensory stimuli resulting in a conscious awareness of a situation. This might be valuable for rehabilitation after stroke or injury.
This narrative mini review describes the effects of a virtual environment on perception enhancement, motor control and sensorimotor adaptation based on seven studies by the authors own work.
It is well known that perception and action are strongly linked. Studies suggest that virtual environment can be used to induce a motorrespons. For individuals with a perceptual or motor deficit VE can be clinical relevant by changing maladaptive strategies into adaptive ones. However is it the question if these effects in healthy individuals are adaptive or unwanted effects. Although it is still not clear how to measure brain enhancement precisely, it is certain that benefits for brain augmentation are far reaching.
> From: Wright, Front Syst Neurosc 8 (2015) (Epub ahead of print). All rights reserved to Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience. Click here for the Pubmed summary.
