Virtual Visual Effect of Hospital Waiting Room on Pain Modulation in Healthy Subjects and Patients with Chronic Migraine

Figure 3

sLORETA Statistical Randomized Non-Parametric Maps showing locations of significant decreases and increases in brain activity during Real Hospital versus Ideal Hospital Virtual Reality Simulation in (a) chronic migraine patients (n°16) and (b) control group (n°16) (2-tailed paired 𝑡-tests). The critical threshold for statistical significance of 𝑃<0.01 was automatically set to 3.42 (2.65 was the value for 𝑃<0.05). The statistical comparison was done in the time interval 200–400 msec in both groups. A significant decrease of cortical activity was found in the bilateral precuneus (Broadman area 7) and cuneus (Broadman are 19) during the Real Hospital VR immersion. The statistical comparison (RH-IH in CM group) = (RH-IH in C group) is reported in (c). For this comparison, the critical threshold for statistical significance of 𝑃<0.01 was automatically settled at 3.57 (2.64 was the value for 𝑃<0.05). The bilateral precuneus (Broadman area 7) and medial frontal girus and anterior cingulate (Broadman area 32) were differently activated in patients and controls across the two VR conditions. The increased activation of these during the IH condition zones (or the reduced activation in RH one) separated significantly chronic migraine patients from controls.