Stereoscopic Rendering in a Head Mounted Display Elicits Higher Functional Connectivity During Virtual Reality

Virtual reality (VR) simulates real world scenarios by creating a presence in users. Such immersive scenarios lead to more similar behaviour to that displayed in real world settings, which may facilitate the transfer of knowledge and skills acquired in VR to real world situations. VR has already been used in education, psychotherapy, rehabilitation and it is an appealing choice for training intervention. The aim was to investigate to what extend VR technology can be used in a magnetic resonance imaging scanner(MRI), addressing the question of whether brain connectivity differs between VR and screen via mirror projection presentations. Moreover, we investigate whether stereoscopic goggle stimulation, where eyes receive different input, would elicit more brain connectivity than stimulation where both eyes receive the same input (monoscopic). To our knowledge, there is no previous research addressing this question. Multiple analyses were performed to cover different aspects of brain connectivity: fractional low frequency fluctuation, independent component analysis, seed-based functional connectivity and graph analysis. In goggles (mono and stereoscopic) vs. screen, we found connectivity differences in cerebellum and postcentral gyrus and in visual and frontal inferior cortex in visual/default-mode networks. Considering specific areas, we found higher connectivity between superior frontal cortex and temporal lobe, as well as inferior parietal cortex with calcarine and lingual. Furthermore, superior frontal cortex and insula/putamen were more strongly connected in stereoscopic, in line with our hypothesis. We assume that conditions eliciting most connectivity should be suited for long-term interventions as extended training under these conditions could permanently improve functional/structural connectivity.