The Neurobiology of Virtual Reality Pain Attenuation

Abstract

During the past decade, virtual reality (VR) has gained recognition as a means of attenuating pain during medical procedures. However, while investigators have examined the effects of virtual environments on level of distraction, subjective pain intensity, and brain activity, there have been only a handful of investigations into the neurobiological mechanisms associated with VR's efficacy. In an effort to explain how VR may alter pain perception and produce analgesia, as well as to guide the development of novel and improved VR pain treatments, this review aims to link the wealth of empirical data examining the neurobiology of pain to the growing field of VR. This review is separated into three main sections: (a) a brief overview of the current literature on the use of VR for the treatment of pain; (b) a review of the basic neurobiology of how pain is detected, processed, and controlled by the brain; and (c) an exploration into how current VR pain treatments may impact the pain system to produce analgesia. In addition, the future of VR for pain treatment is discussed, including how current treatments might be improved and novel ways to use VR to treat pain might be developed. Speculation on future VR interventions is based on our current understanding of how the brain processes pain and how VR appears to alter this process and produce analgesia.

(512) The impact of virtual reality on chronic pain

“…These numerous studies have demonstrated that VR is an effective tool in significantly reducing pain a1111111111 a1111111111 a1111111111 a1111111111 a1111111111 in acute pain situations. The "gate theory" of attention is the most widely accepted model in explaining the impact of VR on pain [16,17]. Gate theory of attention postulates that VR reduces the perception of pain by absorbing and diverting attention away from the pain.…”

A Novel Application of Virtual Reality for Pain Control: Virtual Reality-Mirror Visual Feedback Therapy

“…Virtual reality analgesia has been speculated to be the result of distraction. Recently, advancement in neuro-imaging studies has revealed how VR distraction modulates pain processing in brain regions known as the pain matrix [11] [12]. Neuroimaging studies have identified several brain regions that are consistently activated during nociceptive stimulation.…”

Influence of memory on experienced pain during Virtual Reality analgesia

“…(Gold et al, 2007;Botella et al, 2008). Active engagement in VR activity, and the medium's immersive nature, involves the patient's attention more intensively (compared with other methods) -and thus can be a significantly more effective tool in pain alleviation.…”