Data Sheet 1_The impact of an immersive digital therapeutic tool on experimental pain: a pilot randomized within-subject experiment with an active control condition.docx

BackgroundPain is a complex and multifaced sensory and emotional experience. Virtual reality (VR) has shown promise in reducing experimental pain and chronic pain. This study examines an immersive VR environment initially designed for endometriosis patients, which demonstrated short-term analgesic effects. The research aims to determine the impact of the VR environment on experimental pain intensity and unpleasantness both during and after VR exposure (3D with binaural beats), while using an active control condition (2D with no binaural beats). Additionally, a secondary objective of the study was to identify the psychological and psychophysical factors that predict the analgesic effects of the immersive digital therapeutic tool.MethodsThe study involved twenty-one healthy individuals and used a within-subject design, comparing a VR treatment with an active control condition. Continuous heat stimulation was applied to the left forearm with a Peltier thermode. Pain ratings were collected for immediate and short-term effects.ResultsIn both the VR and Control conditions, there were no significant differences in pain intensity before, during, and after exposure. However, during VR exposure, there was a significant decrease in pain unpleasantness as compared to before exposure (p

背景疼痛是一种复杂且多面的感觉与情感体验。虚拟现实（VR）技术在缓解实验性疼痛和慢性疼痛方面展现出巨大潜力。本研究旨在探究一款最初为子宫内膜异位症患者设计的沉浸式VR环境，该环境已显示出短期镇痛效果。研究旨在评估该VR环境对实验性疼痛强度及其不适感的短期及VR暴露（3D与双耳节拍）后影响，同时采用主动控制条件（2D无双耳节拍）。此外，研究还旨在识别预测沉浸式数字治疗工具镇痛效果的心理学和心理物理学因素。研究方法：该研究涉及21名健康个体，采用同一受试者设计，比较VR治疗与主动控制条件。使用佩尔蒂埃热板对左侧前臂进行连续热刺激，收集疼痛评分以评估即时和短期效果。研究结果：在VR和对照组中，暴露前后及暴露期间的疼痛强度均无显著差异。然而，在VR暴露期间，与暴露前相比，疼痛不适感显著降低（p