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Assessing Electroencephalography as a Stress Indicator: A VR High-Altitude Scenario Monitored through EEG and ECG

Authors :
Vasileios Aspiotis
Andreas Miltiadous
Konstantinos Kalafatakis
Katerina D. Tzimourta
Nikolaos Giannakeas
Markos G. Tsipouras
Dimitrios Peschos
Euripidis Glavas
Alexandros T. Tzallas
Source :
Sensors, Vol 22, Iss 15, p 5792 (2022)
Publication Year :
2022
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2022.

Abstract

Over the last decade, virtual reality (VR) has become an increasingly accessible commodity. Head-mounted display (HMD) immersive technologies allow researchers to simulate experimental scenarios that would be unfeasible or risky in real life. An example is extreme heights exposure simulations, which can be utilized in research on stress system mobilization. Until recently, electroencephalography (EEG)-related research was focused on mental stress prompted by social or mathematical challenges, with only a few studies employing HMD VR techniques to induce stress. In this study, we combine a state-of-the-art EEG wearable device and an electrocardiography (ECG) sensor with a VR headset to provoke stress in a high-altitude scenarios while monitoring EEG and ECG biomarkers in real time. A robust pipeline for signal clearing is implemented to preprocess the noise-infiltrated (due to movement) EEG data. Statistical and correlation analysis is employed to explore the relationship between these biomarkers with stress. The participant pool is divided into two groups based on their heart rate increase, where statistically important EEG biomarker differences emerged between them. Finally, the occipital-region band power changes and occipital asymmetry alterations were found to be associated with height-related stress and brain activation in beta and gamma bands, which correlates with the results of the self-reported Perceived Stress Scale questionnaire.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
14248220
Volume :
22
Issue :
15
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Sensors
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.10efb064fdb14233a1c56a0d79e42810
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/s22155792