Brenda Kay Wiederhold

Virtual Reality Medical Center

Background Extended reality (XR), encompassing technologies such as virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality, has rapidly gained prominence in health care. However, existing XR research often lacks rigor, proper controls, and standardization. Objective To address this and to enhance the transparency and quality of reporting in early-p...

Although large language models (LLMs) and other artificial intelligence systems demonstrate cognitive skills similar to humans, such as concept learning and language acquisition, the way they process information fundamentally differs from biological cognition. To better understand these differences, this article introduces Psychomatics, a multidisc...

Although LLMs and other artificial intelligence systems demonstrate cognitive skills similar to humans, like concept learning and language acquisition, the way they process information fundamentally differs from biological cognition. To better understand these differences this paper introduces Psychomatics, a multidisciplinary framework bridging co...

This article provides an overview of the mental health challenges faced by pilots and air traffic controllers (ATCs), whose stressful professional lives may negatively impact global flight safety and security. The adverse effects of mental health disorders on their flight performance pose a particular safety risk, especially in sudden unexpected st...

In his book “The Anxious Generation”, Jonathan Haidt suggests that digital technologies are rewiring children's brains and causing a mental illness epidemic. However, as noted by different colleagues, this claim is not supported by scientific evidence. In general, most available data are correlational, and when researchers find causal effects, they...

Starting from the escalating global burden of mental health disorders, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the article examines the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to revolutionize mental health care. With nearly one in five adults facing mental health issues and suicide ranking as a leading cause of death among the young, the strained...

BACKGROUND Extended reality (XR), encompassing technologies such as virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality, has rapidly gained prominence in health care. However, existing XR research often lacks rigor, proper controls, and standardization. OBJECTIVE To address this and to enhance the transparency and quality of reporting in early-p...

Medical extended reality (MXR) has emerged as a dynamic field at the intersection of health care and immersive technology, encompassing virtual, augmented, and mixed reality applications across a wide range of medical disciplines. Despite its rapid growth and recognition by regulatory bodies, the field lacks a standardized taxonomy to categorize it...

The metaverse, an emerging digital universe blurring the lines between reality and virtuality, offers a view into a future where human interaction transcends physical boundaries. In this article, we analyze the multidimensional facets of the metaverse, scrutinizing the landscape of challenges and opportunities it offers. The article delves into the...

Annual Review of CyberTherapy and Telemedicine (ARCTT – ISSN: 1554-8716) is one of the official journals of the International Association of CyberPsychology, Training, and Rehabilitation (iACToR). The journal is published annually (once per year) by the Interactive Media Institute (IMI) - a 501c3 non profit organization, dedicated to incorporating...

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a transformative force inmedicine, provoking both awe and apprehension in clinicians and patients. In fact,the challenges posed by medical AI extend beyond mere technological hiccups; theydelve into the very core of ethics and human decision-making. This paper delvesinto the intricate dichotomy between th...

Predicting treatment response can inform treatment decisions, expectations, and optimize use of mental health treatment resources. This study examined heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV), and a modified Stroop task (mStroop) to predict post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment response. We report on an observational, longitudinal st...

Starting from the escalating global burden of mental health disorders, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the article examines the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to revolutionize mental health care. With nearly one in five adults facing mental health issues and suicide ranking as a leading cause of death among the young, the strained...

Amblyopia affects development of children's monocular vision and binocular function and becomes a largely intractable problem with increasing aging. This study is to investigate the binocular function and evaluate efficacy of digital therapy in children 8-13 years of age with anisometropic amblyopia. The patients in the digital therapy group perfor...

Twenty-seven glaucoma patients (54 eyes in total) with well-controlled intraocular pressure were trained with binocular virtual reality visual software for 3 months to investigate whether virtual reality visual perceptual plastic training promotes macular retinal structure and macular function recovery in glaucoma patients. The thickness of peripap...

What distinguishes real-world communities from their online counterparts? Social and cognitive neuroscience research on social networks and collective intentionality will be used in the article to answer this question. Physical communities are born in places. And places engage "we-mode" neurobiological and cognitive processes as behavioral synchron...

Objective: The general objective of the current study was to investigate the efficacy of a novel self-help virtual therapeutic experience (specifically, the COVID Feel Good intervention) in lowering the psychological burden experienced during the COVID-19 lockdowns in four European countries. Methods: We focused on participants recruited from Ju...

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic. In this framework, digital self-help interventions have the potential to provide flexible and scalable solutions for delivering evidence-based treatments that do not necessitate face-to-face meetings. Objective: as part of a multicentric project, the purpose of the current randomized controlled trial was to eva...

The overall objectives of this study are to describe the state of the art and to provide an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the use of extended reality (XR) technologies in the healthcare and education sectors. The study employs a mixed-methods approach based on desk research, surveys, interviews, case studies and sectoral workshops....

Executive Summary

For parents around the globe, the COVID-19 pandemic presented unexpected and unprecedented challenges. Teaching children concepts such as social distancing, masking, and remote learning changed what it meant to be a parent. All the while, stress and anxiety have increased among youth since the pandemic ushered in the ‘‘new normal.’’ And a constant...

Because VR is now much easier to use and much less expensive (my 1st HMD in the mid-1990s cost $20,000), many therapists are beginning to evaluate whether VR should be added to their practice. This brief overview will assist the reader in deciding whether or not to take the technological plunge.

To explore the relationship between binocular imbalance (BI) and the abnormal development of binocular refraction. BI data were collected by enrolling the first 1,000 adolescents and children aged 6–18 years in Shenzhen Eye Hospital from April 2020 to January 2021. In this cross-sectional study, the imbalance value (IV) did not show a statistical c...

Annual Review of CyberTherapy and Telemedicine (ARCTT – ISSN: 1554-8716) is one of the official journals of the International Association of CyberPsychology, Training, and Rehabilitation (iACToR). The journal is published annually (once per year) by the Interactive Media Institute (IMI) - a 501c3 non profit organization, dedicated to incorporating...

Annual Review of CyberTherapy and Telemedicine (ARCTT – ISSN: 1554-8716) is one of the official journals of the International Association of CyberPsychology, Training, and Rehabilitation (iACToR). The journal is published annually (once per year) by the Interactive Media Institute (IMI) - a 501c3 non profit organization, dedicated to incorporating...

The metaverse can be imagined as the immersive sequel to today's text-and-picture-based Internet where users stare at a screen, ignoring physical reality. Instead, by taking advantage of advanced technologies including artificial intelligence, AR, VR, and ever-increasing connectivity (like 5G networks), the metaverse promises online experiences tha...

Major technology companies are investing significant sums of money in the creation of the metaverse whose main feature will be the fusion between the virtual world and the physical world. To allow this possibility is one of the less obvious features of the metaverse: the metaverse works like our minds. This ability makes the metaverse a significant...

The study aimed to explore the potential effect of short-term visual perceptual training based on virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) platforms in postoperative strabismic patients. We enrolled 236 postoperative strabismic patients, among whom 111 patients received VR-based training, and 125 patients received AR-based training. The ster...

The major technology companies are investing significant sums of money in the creation of the metaverse whose main feature will be the fusion between the virtual world and the physical one. To allow this possibility is one of the less obvious features of the metaverse: the metaverse works like our minds. This ability makes the metaverse a significa...

The COVID-19 pandemic has severe consequences for physical as well as mental well-being. In times of restricted social contact, online self-help programs offer a low-threshold first aid to cope with the psychological burden. This current study evaluates the online self-help protocol “COVID Feel Good” in a German sample. The multicentric study was d...

Objective: The present study aimed to explore the feasibility and potential benefits of deploying virtual reality (VR) for adolescents in the ED. Methods: This multi-centre study was undertaken in paediatric and adult EDs in two university teaching hospitals. Twenty-six participants who had voluntarily attended the ED received the VR interventio...

Big data (BD) is the hue and cry of modern science and society. The impact of such data deluge is huge and far reaching for both science and society. Moreover, given the effort required for collecting and analyzing these data, artificial intelligence (AI) has replaced the human mind in accomplishing the enormous task of deriving insight out of the...

Big data (BD) is the hue and cry of modern science and society. The impact of such data-deluge is huge and far-reaching for both science and society. Moreover, given the effort required for collecting and analyzing this data, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has replaced the human mind in accomplishing the enormous task of deriving insight out of the i...

The Metaverse can be defined as a hybrid (digital/physical) environment offering places for rich user interaction. In this view, the main feature of the Metaverse is a twofold link between the virtual and physical worlds: (a) behavior in the physical world influences the experience in the virtual one and, (b) behavior in the virtual world influence...

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) seek to enhance the efficacy of treatments for warriors with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) secondary to their combat deployments to Iraq and/or Afghanistan. Virtual Reality Graded Exposure Therapy (VR-GET) with arousal control has shown particular promise in r...

The use of virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality (MR) technology in clinical psychology is growing. Efficacious VR-based treatments for a variety of disorders have been developed. However, the field of technology-assisted psychotherapy is constantly changing with the advancement in technology. Factors such as interdisciplinary collaboration, consu...

Visual field defect caused by glaucoma seriously affects the quality of life of patients, and clinically, this type of visual field defect has been considered to be irreversible. The aim of this study is to use binocular virtual reality training (VR training) to repair visual field defect in glaucoma patients, improve the quality of life of patient...

The primary aim of the present study was to investigate the efficacy of a self-help virtual therapeutic experience (COVID Feel Good) for reducing the psychological burden experienced during the COVID-19 lockdown across different countries. For this purpose, we focused on participants recruited from June 2020 to May 2021 in the context of a European...

The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of a novel self-administered at-home daily virtual reality (VR)-based intervention (COVID Feel Good) for reducing the psychological burden experienced during the COVID-19 lockdown in Italy. A total of 40 individuals who had experienced at least two months of strict social distancing measures...