Citation

Otsuka H, Okahashi S, Ishii H, Asaba W, Liu C, Yamamoto G, Seiyama A. PLoS One 2024; 19(5): e0304107.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2024, Public Library of Science)

DOI

10.1371/journal.pone.0304107

PMID

38781193

Abstract

AIM: In a previous study, we reported that watching two-dimensional videos of earthquakes significantly reduced sympathetic nerve activity in healthy young adults. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the emotional responses to earthquakes using immersive virtual reality (VR), which can provide a more realistic experience.

METHODS: In total, 24 healthy young adults (12 males, 21.4 ± 0.2 years old) participated. Participants were required to watch earthquake and neutral videos while wearing a head-mounted display and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), during which physiological signals, including pulse rate and cerebral blood flow (CBF) in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, were measured. We also analyzed changes in sympathetic and parasympathetic indices and obtained seven emotion ratings: valence, arousal, dominance, fear, astonishment, anxiety, and panic.

RESULTS: The VR earthquake videos evoked negative subjective emotions, and the pulse rate significantly decreased. Sympathetic nerve activity tended to decrease, whereas CBF in the left prefrontal cortex showed a slight increase, although this was not significant.

CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that measurements combined with NIRS and immersive VR have the potential to capture emotional responses to different stimuli.

Language: en

Keywords

*Earthquakes; *Emotions/physiology; *Heart Rate/physiology; *Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared/methods; *Virtual Reality; Adult; Arousal/physiology; Cerebrovascular Circulation/physiology; Female; Humans; Male; Prefrontal Cortex/physiology; Young Adult