Stimulatory effects of computer-rendered artificial virtual environment on heart rate variability and baroreceptor sensitivity

Background: Relaxing virtual reality (VR) scenarios have been shown to decrease stress, anxiety, and pain perception. How these psychological impacts affect blood pressure (BP) and autonomic function in healthy individuals has not been explored.
Method: An instructed (auditory) meditation augmented by a virtual environment (VE) was delivered to 16 participants, and compared to seated rest and the VE sequence played in a two-dimensional (2D) format. Blood pressure, heart rate variability (HRV), and baroreceptor sensitivity (BRS) were quantified under each condition. The above were also quantified during both a VE and seated rest following physical (isometric handgrip) or mental (serial sevens subtraction) stress.
Results: Blood pressure, HRV, and BRS were the same under conditions of VE, seated rest, and the VE video on a 2D screen under resting conditions. A VE caused BRS to remain high following hand grip (82 ± 13 ms/mmHg, mean ± standard error), with seated rest showing recovery (56 ± 12 ms/mmHg, p = 0.044). A VE slowed recovery of low frequency (LF) HRV power (66 ± 4 normalised units (n.u.)) following mental stress compared to seated rest (55 ± 5 n.u., p = 0.0060). High-frequency (HF) HRV power during VE (34 ± 4 n.u.) remained low following mental stress compared to seated rest (44 ± 5 n.u., p = 0.014). The resultant LF:HF ratio (2.4 ± 0.5) was higher compared to seated rest (1.6 ± 0.3, p = 0.012) following mental stress.
Conclusion: VE had little effect on BP, HRV and BRS during resting conditions in healthy individuals. However, VE acted as an autonomic stimulus following stress and impeded relaxation. Further studies are required to investigate whether the same effect occurs during a stressful event.