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Virtual Reality for Spatial Navigation

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Virtual Reality in Behavioral Neuroscience: New Insights and Methods

Part of the book series: Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences ((CTBN,volume 65))

Abstract

Immersive virtual reality (VR) allows its users to experience physical space in a non-physical world. It has developed into a powerful research tool to investigate the neural basis of human spatial navigation as an embodied experience. The task of wayfinding can be carried out by using a wide range of strategies, leading to the recruitment of various sensory modalities and brain areas in real-life scenarios. While traditional desktop-based VR setups primarily focus on vision-based navigation, immersive VR setups, especially mobile variants, can efficiently account for motor processes that constitute locomotion in the physical world, such as head-turning and walking. When used in combination with mobile neuroimaging methods, immersive VR affords a natural mode of locomotion and high immersion in experimental settings, designing an embodied spatial experience. This in turn facilitates ecologically valid investigation of the neural underpinnings of spatial navigation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Psychology and Neuroergonomics, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany

    Sein Jeung, Christopher Hilton, Timotheus Berg, Lukas Gehrke & Klaus Gramann

  2. Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway

    Sein Jeung

  3. Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany

    Sein Jeung

  4. Center for Advanced Neurological Engineering, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA

    Klaus Gramann

Authors
  1. Sein Jeung
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  2. Christopher Hilton
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  3. Timotheus Berg
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  4. Lukas Gehrke
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  5. Klaus Gramann
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Correspondence to Klaus Gramann .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Psychology, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand

    Christopher Maymon

  2. School of Psychology, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand

    Gina Grimshaw

  3. Swartz Center for Computational Neuroscience, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA

    Ying Choon Wu

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Jeung, S., Hilton, C., Berg, T., Gehrke, L., Gramann, K. (2023). Virtual Reality for Spatial Navigation. In: Maymon, C., Grimshaw, G., Wu, Y.C. (eds) Virtual Reality in Behavioral Neuroscience: New Insights and Methods. Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences, vol 65. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/7854_2022_403

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