How Virtual Reality Unveiled a Unique Brain Wave That Could Boost Learning
Within a brain region, neurons often form “governments” that tackle local issues. For example, the visual cortex has multiple layers that gradually process what we see.
For multiple brain areas to come together, however, the brain has a trick: electrical waves that oscillate over different regions.
But for memory researchers, theta waves are the crux. These are relatively slow waves that spark in the brain as you daydream, or in the middle of a great run, or in the shower with a totally relaxed mind. Theta waves, which wash over the hippocampus, trigger a state in the brain that’s prone to a flow of ideas—à la “shower thoughts.”
VR opens up a whole world of experiences, in a virtual space, that could “retrain” the hippocampus. By tapping into theta waves, the authors guessed, we might be able to dampen cognitive damage in people with dementia.
As the rats ran faster in VR—rodents do love a good run—their hippocampi began undulating with a peculiar pattern, one half as slow as normal theta waves. The authors dubbed this an “eta band,” something barely seen before. Eta acted as an internal FitBit of sorts, only coming online if the rats were running, but then disappearing once they plopped down into couch potato mode.
One idea, the authors said, could be that VR had different sensory inputs than the real world. When physically exploring our world, we have inputs from our skin, vision, nose, ears, and a multitude of other senses, which VR doesn’t have. This makes it all the more freaky that VR can stimulate theta waves—and the slower eta wave—because in VR we mainly rely on vision for feedback.
See the full story here: https://singularityhub.com/2021/07/06/how-virtual-reality-unveiled-a-unique-brain-wave-that-could-boost-learning/?fbclid=IwAR3IYdLtCfLmVq9GAcTM90_5IFwRJecxDqUO_pfgalXZSr9wUCB23yrGDr4
