To examine associations between changes in functional connectivity and pain reduction during virtual reality (VR) exposure in cancer patients with chronic pain.
Approach:
Study Design: An exploratory single-arm study involving 41 adult cancer patients undergoing a VR distraction session using the Oceania application on a Meta Quest® headset.
Data Collection: Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was used to record continuous signals focused on oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO). Pain intensity was assessed before and after VR using the FACES Pain Scale–Revised.
Analysis: Functional connectivity was estimated using coherence analysis, and associations with pain reduction were evaluated using Pearson correlation with false discovery rate correction.
Key Findings:
Significant negative correlations were found between functional connectivity features and pain reduction, particularly involving the prefrontal cortex (PFC), bilateral parietal lobes, and superior frontal gyrus (SFG).
The strongest negative associations were between PFC and SFG (r = –0.43, p = 0.005) and within SFG (r = –0.42, p = 0.006).
HbO activity at the PFC was significantly negatively associated with pain reduction (r = –0.32, p = 0.044).
Interpretation:
Decreased functional connectivity in specific cortical regions was associated with short-term pain reduction during VR exposure.
Limitations:
The study is exploratory and involves a small sample size of 41 patients.
The findings are based on a single VR session and may not generalize to longer-term VR interventions.
Cancer type and treatment status were not consistently available for all participants.
Conclusion:
Understanding the neural correlates associated with pain changes during immersive VR exposure may clarify how VR-based interventions influence pain-related brain networks.
