Psychophysiological changes by navigation in a virtual reality

We examined the psychophysiological effects of navigation in a virtual reality (VR). Subjects were exposed to the VR, and required to detect specific objects. Ten electrophysiological signals were recorded before, during, and after navigation in the VR. Six questionnaires on the VR experience were acquired from 45 healthy subjects. There were significant changes between the VR period and the pre-VR control period in several psychophysiological measurements. During the VR period, eye blink, skin conductance level, and alpha frequency of EEG were decreased but gamma wave was increased. Physiological changes associated with cybersickness included increased heart rate, eye blink, skin conductance response, and gamma wave and decreased photoplethysmogram and skin temperature. These results suggest an attentional change during VR navigation and activation of the autonomic nervous system for cybersickness. These findings would enhance our understanding for the psychophysiological changes during VR navigation and cybersickness.