The impact of manipulating visual stimuli via virtual reality on the autonomic responses to exercise in controlled environments
OA Version
Citation
Abstract
Human thermoregulation is a complex integration of signals from peripheral and central signals, which are modified by physiological effectors related to vasodilation, vasoconstriction, and perspiration. Thermoregulation occurs primarily through evaporative heat loss during exercise or in hyperthermic environments, and at rest by dry heat loss through convection and radiation. Color and visual stimuli have been shown to influence both thermal perception, and physiologic responses that mimic thermoregulation mechanisms at rest. We hypothesize that when an individual is shown a hot VR during exercise, sweat volume will be greater than when they are shown a cold VR during the same exercise in the same environmental conditions. The secondary aim was to test the hypothesis that augmented thermoregulatory responses when participants were shown a hot VR would lead to lower body temperatures over the course of the exercise interval, seven recreationally active participants in their early to mid 20s participated in 5 total lab visits: a screening visit and 4 trial days. Two days participants cycled in neutral environments (20°C, 30% RH), and two days participants cycled in a hot environment (32°C, 30%RH). On both days in each environment participants were immersed in a hot virtual reality (NEUT + HOT, HOT + HOT) and a cold VR (NEUT + COLD, HOT + COLD). The intake visit consisted of screening for exclusion criteria and YMCA protocol to estimate participants mechanical efficiency and VO2max. On experimental days, (NEUT + HOT, HOT + HOT & NEUT + COLD, HOT + COLD) participants cycled for a duration of 40 minutes, at a set work rate of 5W of heat production/kg. Our results showed a significant increase in sweating when participants were shown a hot VR in the hot environmental conditions (HOT + HOT: 291.0 ± 35.5 g, HOT + COLD: 320.3 ± 42.5 g, p=0.009). Other comparisons were not statistically significant, such as ΔTcore at minute 40 in neutral (p=0.251) and hot environments (p=0.348). Our perceptual measures showed over the course of exercise participants reported feeling warmer in neutral (NEUT + COLD: 7.1 ± 19.7 NEUT + HOT: 18.8 ± 10.5, p= 0.087) and hot conditions when shown a hot VR (HOT + COLD: 60.0 ± 25.9 HOT + HOT: 70.4 ± 22.7, p= 0.080), however these differences did not reach our threshold for statistical significance. Our primary hypothesis was supported in the HOT + HOT condition when compared to the HOT + COLD condition showing when viewing a hot VR participants sweat on average 9.5% more. There were no significant differences in change in core body temperature that were observed in accordance with our secondary hypothesis. Thermoregulatory responses may be altered by visual stimuli and thermal perception.
Description
2025
License
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International