Ph.D. Thesis Proposal Presentation

Ph.D. Thesis Proposal Presentation

PROFILING POSTURAL CONTROL USING BIOSIGNALS AND VIRTUAL REALITY

19.4.2024

Lorena Guerrini, a PhD student, presented her PhD thesis proposal on profiling postural control using biosignals and virtual reality.

• Date: Tuesday, May 28, 2024
• Time: 12:00 - 13:00
• Room: M208

Student: Lorena Guerrini

Supervisor: Professor Paolo Gargiulo, Reykjavík University

Committee:

• Assistant Professor Mahmoud Hassan, Reykjavík University
• Professor Giorgio Di Lorenzo, Laboratory of Psychophysiology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Systems Medicine, Tor Vergata University of Rome
• Professor Ceon Ramon, University of Washington, Seattle, USA

Examiner

• Professor Jónas Þór Snæbjörnsson

Title: PROFILING POSTURAL CONTROL USING BIOSIGNALS AND VIRTUAL REALITY

Abstract:

The ground-breaking approach of BioVRSea presents a promising opportunity for evaluating quantitative physiology and postural control (PC). The technique involves immersing participants in a virtual environment and exposing them to visual and motor stimuli while measuring their biosignals. The aim is to explore new biomarkers in individuals with various motor and neural-affecting conditions. Individuals who had suffered a concussion and those in the early stages of Parkinson's disease were recruited. Their responses to complex PC tasks were compared with healthy individuals. We analyzed changes in muscle activation, variations in center of pressure, and brain activity patterns across these groups. Differences in muscle activity in the legs and body sway were evident when individuals experienced deficiencies in balance strategies. Moreover, EEG signals revealed discrepancies, particularly in the power spectral density of the alpha band in Parkinson's subjects. Alpha activity is crucial in regulating posture, especially in response to changing visual stimuli. The observed inactivation of different brain areas, which is typical in healthy subjects, demonstrated the incapability of Parkinson's patients in postural adjustment. The next step involves decoding the dynamic remodelling of brain networks through source reconstruction, computation of connectivity matrices, and microstate analysis to identify brain network states (BNS). Analyzing BNS can provide a neurophysiological interpretation of cortical-level changes, revealing distinct activations in pathologies such as Parkinson's disease. Meanwhile, a group of seamen participated, representing an expert cohort to the simulated sea environment created by the BioVRSea. Profiling their physiological responses can be a tool to evaluate significant differences in PC strategies, suggesting unique techniques of adaptation and habituation during the tasks.

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