Brain Dynamics of Balance Loss in Virtual Reality and Real-world Beam Walking

Virtual reality (VR) aims to replicate the sensation of a genuine experience through the integration of realism, presence, and embodiment. In this study, we used mobile electroencephalography to quantify differences in anterior cingulate brain activity, an area involved in error monitoring, with and without VR during a challenging balance task to discern the factors contributing to VR's perceptual shortcomings. We found a major delay in the anterior cingulate response to self-generated loss of balance in VR compared to the real world (reflecting less effective detection of balance loss). We also found a very strong response in the anterior cingulate when loss of balance was generated by an external physical disturbance. These findings contribute to our comprehension of the constraints associated with VR in replicating real-world experiences.