Virtual reality and the role of the prefrontal cortex in adults and children

Jäncke, Lutz; Cheetham, Marcus; Baumgartner, Thomas (2009). Virtual reality and the role of the prefrontal cortex in adults and children. Frontiers in neuroscience, 3(1), pp. 52-59. Frontiers Research Foundation 10.3389/neuro.01.006.2009

Preview

Text Jaencke_Baumgartner_Frontiers_in_ Neuroscience_2009.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons: Attribution (CC-BY). This Document is protected by copyright and was first published by Frontiers. All rights reserved. It is reproduced with permission. Download (1MB) | Preview

In this review, the neural underpinnings of the experience of presence are outlined. Firstly, it is shown that presence is associated with activation of a distributed network, which includes the dorsal and ventral visual stream, the parietal cortex, the premotor cortex, mesial temporal areas, the brainstem and the thalamus. Secondly, the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) is identified as a key node of the network as it modulates the activity of the network and the associated experience of presence. Thirdly, children lack the strong modulatory influence of the DLPFC on the network due to their unmatured frontal cortex. Fourthly, it is shown that presence-related measures are influenced by manipulating the activation in the DLPFC using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) while participants are exposed to the virtual roller coaster ride. Finally, the findings are discussed in the context of current models explaining the experience of presence, the rubber hand illusion, and out-of-body experiences.

Interest & Impact

Downloads

181 since deposited on 17 Oct 2014
11 in the past 12 months

Citations

5 Citations in Web of Science ®
6 Citations in Scopus

Search

in Google Scholar™

Services

Actions (login required)

Edit item

Actions (login required)

Edit item