Evaluation of neural response recorded using scalp EEG in virtual reality environment

Noriaki Kanayama, Makoto Miyakoshi, Maro G. Machizawa

Abstract: With the recent development of virtual reality technology, sensory information in virtual space could be a candidate for experimental stimuli in the field of cognitive neuroscience. Specifically, auditory and tactile stimuli, which is spatiotemporally synchronized to visual information of the space and body delivered using a head-mounted display (HMD), can be presented in controlled way using headphones, tactile stimulators (e.g. Kanayama et al., 2019), etc.. During such a sensory stimulus presentation, we could measure any neuronal responses, and realize cognitive neuroscience study in the experimental setting impossible in real world. Such a method involves fixing the HMD to participant's head and using the actuator near participant's body, which suggests possible contamination of greater noise to recorded neuronal responses compared to that in experiments without virtual reality. In the case of high-density EEG measurements on the scalp, there should be interference to the electrodes from the fixation band of HMD to the participant's head, electromyogram (EMG) noise induced by participant's head movements, and noise emitted by the HMD device itself.