New Frontiers in Postural Control and Motion Sickness Assessment: The BioVRSea Paradigm

The Postural Control (PC) system is essential for maintaining balance, facilitating movement, and managing autonomic responses necessary for daily activities. Dysfunction in this system, caused by either disease or overstimulation, can lead to vertigo, dizziness, and other balance-related disorders, significantly affecting individuals' quality of life. These issues are further compounded by age-related degeneration and conditions such as Parkinson's disease (PD) and concussions. Current diagnostic methods for those disorders are primarily qualitative, highlighting the need for quantitative approaches. This paper presents the BioVRSea system, an innovative tool introduced at Reykjavik University's Motion Sickness and Postural Control Lab. The system combines virtual reality (VR) with a moving platform to simulate maritime environments while recording comprehensive biosignals, including EEG, EMG, CoP, and ECG. By examining responses across different phases of the simulation, the BioVRSea system has proven effective in distinguishing between healthy individuals and those with specific conditions, such as concussions and early-stage PD. Our research involving almost 500 participants demonstrates the system's capability to capture significant data on PC dynamics. The integration of VR and machine learning techniques allows for the development of predictive biomarkers, enhancing the precision of diagnostic processes. The findings indicate distinct biosignal patterns among various cohorts, underscoring the potential of the BioVRSea system in advancing PC disorder diagnosis and treatment. Future research will focus on optimizing feature selection and classification algorithms, aiming to improve clinical assessments and interventions for neurodegenerative diseases and other PC-related conditions.