A recent study has revealed how virtual reality may impact the brain and how it could be used to treat learning and memory-related disorders in the future. Not only does VR offer an immersive gaming experience, it also provides people with opportunities to experience the world, such as experiencing Disneyland and Disney World attractions right from their own home. Users typically experience VR through a headset, which shows them a 360-degree view of a 3D world.
Oculus Rift VR headsets are among some of the most popular. In addition to playing video games, users can attend live concerts and sporting events or watch movies and TV. Other popular headset options include the Valve Index, HTC's Vive Pro and Cosmos Elite, and the Acer Windows VR Headset. Earlier this year, a report surfaced online describing a potential VR headset from Apple, which may not require a computer at all.
Spotted by Singularity Hub, a study by Dr. Mayank R. Mehta from UCLA looked at how lab rats respond to a VR environment projected inside housing, where the rats could run around and play games. A separate set of rats also ran through housing in the real world. Thanks to hyperdrives planted inside the brain of the rats, the researchers noted theta waves (important for personal memories) in the hippocampus, which helps process memory and learning. The rats running through the VR setup were found to have increased theta waves compared to the real world rats. The scientists also noted an “eta band” composed of eta waves which were only observed when the rats were running particularly fast.
Basically, what the researchers noticed was that theta and eta waves could be supported by one neuron at the same time, which could potentially create “parallel streams” of learning. This means information that people learn in VR could be broken up into smaller pieces, possibly making it easier for people to learn and remember. This knowledge could potentially be incredibly helpful in treating learning impairments or memory-related disorders like Alzheimer’s. VR could also potentially be used to “retrain” the hippocampus, which could be a positive for people with dementia.
This exciting discovery just goes to show how far virtual reality has come, and how far it could potentially go in the future. It’s certainly more than just for gaming and entertainment, and if researchers can tap into similar discoveries, VR could eventually become a game-changer in medicine, as well as in the video gaming industry.
Source: Nature Neuroscience, Singularity Hub
