Simulated visual hallucinations in virtual reality enhance cognitive flexibility

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clara Rastelli ◽  
Antonino Greco ◽  
Yoed N. Kenett ◽  
Chiara Finocchiaro ◽  
Nicola De Pisapia
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Cognitive Flexibility ◽  
Decision Process ◽  
Chaotic Dynamics ◽  
Semantic Network ◽  
Automatic Process ◽  
Visual Hallucinations ◽  
Decision Strategies ◽  
Cognitive Dynamics ◽  
Psychedelic Drugs

Historically, psychedelic drugs are known to modulate cognitive flexibility, a central aspect of cognition permitting adaptation to changing environmental demands. Despite proof suggesting phenomenological similarities between artificially-induced and actual psychedelic altered perception, experimental evidence is still lacking about whether the former is also able to modulate cognitive flexibility. To address this, we measure participants' cognitive flexibility through behavioral tasks after the exposure to virtual reality panoramic videos and their hallucinatory-like counterparts generated by the DeepDream algorithm. Results show that the estimated semantic network has a flexible structure when preceded by altered videos. Crucially, following the simulated psychedelic exposure, individuals also show an attenuated contribution of the automatic process and chaotic dynamics underlying the decision process. This suggests that simulated altered perceptual phenomenology enhances cognitive flexibility, presumably due to a reorganization in the cognitive dynamics that facilitates the exploration of uncommon decision strategies and inhibits automated choices.

scholarly journals Using the Virtual Reality-Cognitive Rehabilitation Approach to Improve Contextual Processing in Children with Autism

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Wang ◽  
Denise Reid
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Cognitive Flexibility ◽  
Cognitive Rehabilitation ◽  
Contextual Information ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Educational Programs ◽  
Multiple Baseline ◽  
Single Subject ◽  
Control Test ◽  
Contextual Processing

Background. This pilot study investigated the efficacy of a novel virtual reality-cognitive rehabilitation (VR-CR) intervention to improvecontextual processing of objectsin children with autism. Previous research supports that children with autism show deficits in contextual processing, as well as deficits in its elementary components: abstraction and cognitive flexibility.Methods. Four children with autism participated in a multiple-baseline, single-subject study. The children were taught how tosee objects in contextby reinforcing attention to pivotal contextual information.Results. All children demonstrated statistically significant improvements in contextual processing and cognitive flexibility. Mixed results were found on the control test and changes in context-related behaviours.Conclusions. Larger-scale studies are warranted to determine the effectiveness and usability in comprehensive educational programs.

scholarly journals Visual Hallucinations as Incidental Negative Effects of Virtual Reality on Parkinson’s Disease Patients: A Link with Neurodegeneration?

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giovanni Albani ◽  
Elisa Pedroli ◽  
Pietro Cipresso ◽  
Daniel Bulla ◽  
Veronica Cimolin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Clinical History ◽  
Immersive Virtual Reality ◽  
Visual Hallucinations ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Limited Sample ◽  
Limited Sample Size ◽  
Immersive Systems

We followed up a series of 23 Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients who had performed an immersive virtual reality (VR) protocol eight years before. On that occasion, six patients incidentally described visual hallucinations (VH) with occurrences of images not included in the virtual environment. Curiously, in the following years, only these patients reported the appearance of VH later in their clinical history, while the rest of the group did not. Even considering the limited sample size, we may argue that VR immersive systems can induce unpleasant effects in PD patients who are predisposed to a cognitive impairment.

Systematic investigation of the decision process in homœopathy

1992 ◽  
Vol 81 (01) ◽  
pp. 13-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Liagre ◽  
R.A. Van Haselen
Keyword(s):  
Otitis Media ◽  
Decision Process ◽  
Acute Otitis Media ◽  
Systematic Investigation ◽  
Decision Strategies ◽  
Pilot Studies ◽  
Individualized Decision ◽  
Selection Of

AbstractPlans for two pilot studies concerning the homœopathic treatment of chronic and acute otitis media are presented. The intention of these studies is not only to look at the efficacy of the homœopathic treatment as a whole but also to investigate the efficacy of the individualized decision strategies. Based on the homœopathic literature a selection of decision strategies has been made. The reader is asked to criticize and supplement the chosen decision strategies.

The Cognitive Process of Decision Making

2011 ◽  
pp. 1452-1464
Author(s):  
Yingxu Wang ◽  
Guenther Ruhe
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Decision Process ◽  
Cognitive Process ◽  
Cartesian Product ◽  
Decision Strategies ◽  
Cognitive Informatics ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Rigorous Description ◽  
Science Management ◽  
Cognitive Decision

Decision making is one of the basic cognitive processes of human behaviors by which a preferred option or a course of actions is chosen from among a set of alternatives based on certain criteria. Decision theories are widely applied in many disciplines encompassing cognitive informatics, computer science, management science, economics, sociology, psychology, political science, and statistics. A number of decision strategies have been proposed from different angles and application domains such as the maximum expected utility and Bayesian method. However, there is still a lack of a fundamental and mathematical decision model and a rigorous cognitive process for decision making. This article presents a fundamental cognitive decision making process and its mathematical model, which is described as a sequence of Cartesian-product based selections. A rigorous description of the decision process in real-time process algebra (RTPA) is provided. Real-world decisions are perceived as a repetitive application of the fundamental cognitive process. The result shows that all categories of decision strategies fit in the formally described decision process. The cognitive process of decision making may be applied in a wide range of decision-based systems such as cognitive informatics, software agent systems, expert systems, and decision support systems.

The Cognitive Process of Decision Making

2009 ◽  
pp. 237-250
Author(s):  
Yingxu Wang ◽  
Guenther Ruhe
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Decision Process ◽  
Cognitive Process ◽  
Cartesian Product ◽  
Decision Strategies ◽  
Cognitive Informatics ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Rigorous Description ◽  
Science Management ◽  
Cognitive Decision

Decision making is one of the basic cognitive processes of human behaviors by which a preferred option or a course of actions is chosen from among a set of alternatives based on certain criteria. Decision theories are widely applied in many disciplines encompassing cognitive informatics, computer science, management science, economics, sociology, psychology, political science, and statistics. A number of decision strategies have been proposed from different angles and application domains such as the maximum expected utility and Bayesian method. However, there is still a lack of a fundamental and mathematical decision model and a rigorous cognitive process for decision making. This article presents a fundamental cognitive decision making process and its mathematical model, which is described as a sequence of Cartesian-product based selections. A rigorous description of the decision process in real-time process algebra (RTPA) is provided. Real-world decisions are perceived as a repetitive application of the fundamental cognitive process. The result shows that all categories of decision strategies fit in the formally described decision process. The cognitive process of decision making may be applied in a wide range of decision-based systems such as cognitive informatics, software agent systems, expert systems, and decision support systems.

scholarly journals Psychedelics and virtual reality: parallels and applications

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 204512532094835
Author(s):  
Jacob S. Aday ◽  
Christopher C. Davoli ◽  
Emily K. Bloesch
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Conscious Experience ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Scientific Interest ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Therapeutic Uses ◽  
Mental Experience ◽  
Psychedelic Drugs ◽  
Traditional Therapies

Psychedelic drugs and virtual reality (VR) each have the capacity to disrupt the rigidity and limitations of typical conscious experience. This article delineates the parallels among psychedelic and VR states as well as their potential synergistic applications in clinical and recreational settings. Findings indicate that, individually, psychedelics and VR are used in analogous ways to alter sensory experience and evoke awe. They are also both used in tandem with traditional therapies to treat a variety of mood disorders; their shared capacity to transiently alter perspective and disrupt rigid patterns of mental experience may underly their analogous and transdiagnostic therapeutic uses. In terms of their combined applications, a number of recreational users currently utilize psychedelics and VR together to enhance their experience. We propose that VR may be a useful tool for preparing hallucinogen-naïve participants in clinical trials for the sensory distortions experienced in psychedelic states. Given the critical role of “setting” in psychedelic treatment outcomes, we also detail how VR could be used to optimize the environment in psychedelic sessions. Finally, we provide considerations for future studies and detail how advancements in psychedelic and VR research can inform one another. Collectively, this article outlines a number of connections between psychedelics and VR, and, more broadly, is representative of growing scientific interest into the interactions among technology, psychopharmacology, and mental health.

The Cognitive Process of Decision Making

2011 ◽  
pp. 130-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yingxu Wang ◽  
Guenther Ruhe
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Decision Process ◽  
Cognitive Process ◽  
Cartesian Product ◽  
Decision Strategies ◽  
Cognitive Informatics ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Rigorous Description ◽  
Science Management ◽  
Cognitive Decision

Decision making is one of the basic cognitive processes of human behaviors by which a preferred option or a course of actions is chosen from among a set of alternatives based on certain criteria. Decision theories are widely applied in many disciplines encompassing cognitive informatics, computer science, management science, economics, sociology, psychology, political science, and statistics. A number of decision strategies have been proposed from different angles and application domains, such as the maximum expected utility and Bayesian method. However, there is still a lack of a fundamental and mathematical decision model and a rigorous cognitive process for decision making. This chapter presents a fundamental cognitive decision making process and its mathematical model, which is described as a sequence of Cartesian-product-based selections. A rigorous description of the decision process in Real-Time Process Algebra (RTPA) is provided. Real-world decisions are perceived as a repetitive application of the fundamental cognitive process. The result shows that all categories of decision strategies fit in the formally described decision process. The cognitive process of decision making may be applied in a wide range of decision-based systems, such as cognitive informatics, software agent systems, expert systems, and decision support systems.

scholarly journals Virtual Reality Cognitive Training in Individuals with Alcohol Use Disorder Undergoing Residential Treatment: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro Gamito ◽  
Jorge Oliveira ◽  
Marcelo Matias ◽  
Elsa Cunha ◽  
Rodrigo Brito ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Cognitive Training ◽  
Cognitive Flexibility ◽  
Alcohol Use Disorder ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Treatment As Usual ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Global Cognition ◽  
Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND Alcohol use disorder has been associated with diverse physical and mental morbidities. Among the main consequences of chronic and excessive alcohol use are cognitive and executive deficits. Some of these deficits may be reversed in specific cognitive and executive domains with behavioral approaches consisting in cognitive training. The advent of computer-based interventions may leverage these improvements, but RCTs of digital interactive-based interventions are still scarce. OBJECTIVE The aim is to explore whether a cognitive training approach using virtual reality exercises based on activities of daily living is feasible for improving cognitive function of patients with alcohol use disorder undergoing residential treatment, as well as to estimate the effect size for this intervention to power future definitive RCTs. METHODS A two-arm pilot randomized controlled trial with a sample of 36 individuals recovering from alcohol use disorder in a therapeutic community assigned to a therapist-guided virtual reality-based cognitive training combined with treatment-as-usual or a control group with treatment-as-usual without cognitive training. A comprehensive neuropsychological battery of tests was used both at pre and post assessments, including global cognition, executive functions, attention, visual memory and cognitive flexibility. RESULTS In order to control for potential effects of global cognition and executive functions at baseline, these domains were controlled in the statistical analysis for each individual outcome. Results indicate effects (P < .05) of the intervention on attention (in 2 out of 5 outcomes) and cognitive flexibility (in 2 out of 6 outcomes), with effect sizes in significant comparisons being larger for attention than for cognitive flexibility. Patient retention in cognitive training was high, in line with previous studies. CONCLUSIONS Overall data suggest specific contributions of reality-based cognitive training in improving attention ability and cognitive flexibility of patients recovering from alcohol use disorder. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04505345; https://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT04505345

Cognitive gadgets and genetic accommodation

2019 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Jablonka ◽  
Simona Ginsburg ◽  
Daniel Dor
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Flexibility ◽  
Metacognitive Strategies ◽  
Genetic Evolution ◽  
Genetic Accommodation

Abstract Heyes argues that human metacognitive strategies (cognitive gadgets) evolved through cultural rather than genetic evolution. Although we agree that increased plasticity is the hallmark of human metacognition, we suggest cognitive malleability required the genetic accommodation of gadget-specific processes that enhanced the overall cognitive flexibility of humans.

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