Capture of emotional responses under a simulated earthquake experience using near-infrared spectroscopy and virtual reality

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 19; no. 5; p. e0304107
• Main Authors: Otsuka, Hikari, Okahashi, Sayaka, Ishii, Hirotake, Asaba, Wataru, Liu, Chang, Yamamoto, Goshiro, Seiyama, Akitoshi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 23.05.2024; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Adult; Adults; Analysis; Anxiety; Arousal; Arousal - physiology; Biology and Life Sciences; Blood flow; Cerebral blood flow; Cerebrovascular Circulation - physiology; Computer and Information Sciences; Computer applications; Earthquakes; Emotional factors; Emotions; Emotions - physiology; Engineering and Technology; Female; Heart Rate - physiology; Helmet mounted displays; Humans; Immersive virtual reality; Infrared spectra; Infrared spectroscopy; Japan; Light emitting diodes; Likert scale; Male; Medicine and Health Sciences; Near infrared radiation; Near infrared spectroscopy; Nerves; Parasympathetic nervous system; Personal information; Personality; Physiological aspects; Physiology; Prefrontal cortex; Prefrontal Cortex - physiology; Pulse rate; Questionnaires; Research and Analysis Methods; Seismic activity; Seismic response; Seismology; Sensors; Signal processing; Social Sciences; Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared - methods; Spectrum analysis; Sympathetic nerves; Video; Virtual Reality; Young Adult; Young adults; Japan
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0304107

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