Banca de DEFESA: BÁRBARA REBECA DE MACEDO PINHEIRO

Uma banca de DEFESA de MESTRADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : BÁRBARA REBECA DE MACEDO PINHEIRO
DATE: 18/07/2025
TIME: 14:00
LOCAL: Sala da Psicobiologia
TITLE:

CYCLING BEYOND THE BOUNDS OF REALITY: THE OSCILLATORY DYNAMICS OF NEURAL ACTIVITY IN VIRTUAL REALITY ENVIRONMENTS

KEY WORDS:

brain oscillation, virtual reality, visual stimuli.

PAGES: 60
BIG AREA: Ciências Humanas
AREA: Psicologia
SUBÁREA: Psicologia Fisiológica
SPECIALTY: Psicobiologia
SUMMARY:

The impact of virtual reality (VR) stimuli on human physiology, particularly during passive immersion, is still poorly understood. This study aimed to characterise the cortical (EEG) and autonomic (HRV) responses of healthy individuals in VR environments of varying visual complexity. EEG and HRV data were collected from 42 participants (aged 19–50) while they rested and viewed 360° videos of varying complexity. The subjective experience of the volunteers was assessed using presence and cybersickness questionnaires. Behavioural results indicated an immersive and tolerable experience, with high spatial presence scores. At the cortical level, EEG analysis revealed a multifaceted response: occipital alpha power was gradually suppressed by content complexity, while beta power and Shannon entropy were primarily modulated by a strong novelty effect, being higher during initial exposure to VR. In turn, HRV analysis demonstrated vagal tone resilience (stable RMSSD), but also revealed specific suppression of overall HRV (SDNN) during the low complexity condition, as well as an autonomic fatigue profile during the final recovery phase (HF drop and increased LF/HF ratio). Importantly, interaction analysis revealed a functional dissociation between cortical and autonomic activity during VR immersion, with a weak significant correlation emerging only during the final recovery phase. Overall, the results suggest that, while passive immersion in VR is not emotionally provocative, it does impose a measurable physiological cost. The ability to dissociate physiological signatures from perceptual load, novelty and fatigue highlights the potential of multimodal analysis in developing safer and more effective VR experiences.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Interno - 1216466 - JOHN FONTENELE ARAUJO
Externo ao Programa - 2276280 - CESAR RENNO COSTA - UFRNExterno à Instituição - WILFREDO BLANCO FIGUEROLA - UERN