64.1: Display Technologies for Therapeutic Applications of Virtual Reality.

A paradigm shift in image source technology for VR helmets is needed. Using scanning fiber displays to replace LCD displays creates lightweight, safe, low cost, wide field of view, portable VR goggles ideal for reducing pain during severe burn wound care in hospitals and possibly in austere combat-transport environments.

Role of proton gradients in the mechanism of osmosis.

Experiments were carried out to determine whether the newly identified "exclusion zone" found adjacent to hydrophilic surfaces might play a role in osmosis. Two chambers were juxtaposed face to face, separated by a membrane made of cellulose acetate or Nafion. One chamber contained water, the other 100 mM sodium sulfate solution. Osmotically driven transmembrane fluid flow from low to high salt was observed using both membranes, in agreement with previous reports. Characteristic pH differences and potential differences between chambers were also noted. Visual examination with microsphere markers revealed extensive exclusion zones adjacent to both types of membrane. As these zones routinely generate protons in the water regions beyond, unequal proton concentrations in the respective chambers may be responsible for creating both the pH and potential gradients, which may be ultimately responsible for the osmotic drive.

Using FMRI to study the neural correlates of virtual reality analgesia.

Excessive pain during medical procedures, such as burn wound dressing changes, is a widespread medical problem and is especially challenging for children. This article describes the rationale behind virtual reality (VR) pain distraction, a new non-pharmacologic adjunctive analgesia, and gives a brief summary of empirical studies exploring whether VR reduces clinical procedural pain. Results indicate that patients using VR during painful medical procedures report large reductions in subjective pain. A neuroimaging study measuring the neural correlates of VR analgesia is described in detail. This functional magnetic resonance imaging pain study in healthy volunteers shows that the large drops in subjective pain ratings during VR are accompanied by large drops in pain-related brain activity. Together the clinical and laboratory studies provide converging evidence that VR distraction is a promising new non-pharmacologic pain control technique.

Water-friendly virtual reality pain control during wound care.

Recent research suggests that entering an immersive virtual environment can serve as a powerful nonpharmacologic analgesic for severe burn pain. The present case study describes an attempt to use water-friendly virtual reality (VR) technology with a burn patient undergoing wound care in a hydrotherapy tub. The patient was a 40-year-old male with 19% total body surface area deep flame/flash burns to his legs, neck, back, and buttocks. The virtual reality treatment decreased the patient's sensory and affective pain ratings and decreased the amount of time spent thinking about his pain during wound care. We believe that VR analgesia works by drawing attention away from the wound care, leaving less attention available to process incoming pain signals. The water-friendly VR helmet dramatically increases the number of patients with severe burns that could potentially be treated with VR (see http://www.vrpain.com).

A magnet-friendly virtual reality fiberoptic image delivery system.

A custom display was built into the MR radiofrequency headcoil to project high-resolution, wide field-of-view stereographic images. Advanced stimulus presentation technologies such as the one described could potentially contribute to a better understanding of the relation between what people are thinking or experiencing, and their associated patterns of brain activity (www.vrpain.com).