Slide
Centre Interdisciplinaire
de Recherche et d’Innovation
en Cybersécurité et Société
de Recherche et d’Innovation
en Cybersécurité et Société
1.
Alessandra, G.; Beatrice, D. M.; Sara, C.; Roberta, M.; Martina, V.; Patrycja, K.; Maurizio, B.; Luca, B.; Adelaide, D. V. Laura; Stéphane, B.
In: British Journal of Health Psychology, vol. 31, no. 1, 2026, ISSN: 1359107X (ISSN).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: adult, controlled study, female, Heart Rate, human, Humans, hypertension, Immersive virtual reality, mental stress, Middle Aged, Narration, pathophysiology, physiology, Pilot Projects, pilot study, procedures, Psychological, psychology, Pulmonary, pulmonary arterial hypertension, pulmonary hypertension, randomized controlled trial, rehabilitation, relaxation, Relaxation Therapy, relaxation training, Stress, Therapy, verbal communication, virtual reality
@article{alessandra_preselected_2026,
title = {Preselected and preferred immersive virtual reality versus narrative alone to induce post-stress relaxation in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension: A pilot study on perceived stress and heart rate},
author = {G. Alessandra and D. M. Beatrice and C. Sara and M. Roberta and V. Martina and K. Patrycja and B. Maurizio and B. Luca and D. V. Laura Adelaide and B. Stéphane},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-105029595132&doi=10.1111%2Fbjhp.70059&partnerID=40&md5=b86f0151066a7923d8854913cbd54318},
doi = {10.1111/bjhp.70059},
issn = {1359107X (ISSN)},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-01-01},
journal = {British Journal of Health Psychology},
volume = {31},
number = {1},
abstract = {Objectives: Several studies have shown the effectiveness of immersive virtual reality (IVR)-based relaxation techniques in alleviating stress within the general population. However, few data are available on patients, or on the effectiveness of different scenarios in inducing relaxation. This pilot study aims to compare the effectiveness of three relaxation techniques—preselected IVR (IVR-PS), preferred IVR (i.e. chosen by the participant from different alternatives—IVR-PR), and narrative alone (CTR)—in reducing physiological and psychological stress in 16 pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) female patients (N = 16, average age: 46 ± 10.66 years; average education: 13.31 ± 3.8 years; mean duration of illness: 8.56 ± 5.24 years) following an acute stress. Methods: Patients performed a mental stress test followed by three different relaxation sessions presented in a randomized order on three separate occasions. Self-perceived stress, level of relaxation, and heart rate (HR) were monitored during the sessions. Participants' ratings of their experiences were also collected. Results: The results indicated that the three relaxation methods were equally effective in reducing perceived stress induced by acute stress and in lowering HR. However, greater cognitive activation was reported in the two IVR conditions compared with the narrative condition. Conclusions: This is the first study to show evidence of the impact of IVR on a rare population. Despite the lack of significant differences between the two IVR and narrative-alone conditions in physiological and subjective relaxation, more than half of the participants expressed a subjective preference for the virtual experience, especially for the preferred one. © 2026 The Author(s). British Journal of Health Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Psychological Society.},
keywords = {adult, controlled study, female, Heart Rate, human, Humans, hypertension, Immersive virtual reality, mental stress, Middle Aged, Narration, pathophysiology, physiology, Pilot Projects, pilot study, procedures, Psychological, psychology, Pulmonary, pulmonary arterial hypertension, pulmonary hypertension, randomized controlled trial, rehabilitation, relaxation, Relaxation Therapy, relaxation training, Stress, Therapy, verbal communication, virtual reality},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Objectives: Several studies have shown the effectiveness of immersive virtual reality (IVR)-based relaxation techniques in alleviating stress within the general population. However, few data are available on patients, or on the effectiveness of different scenarios in inducing relaxation. This pilot study aims to compare the effectiveness of three relaxation techniques—preselected IVR (IVR-PS), preferred IVR (i.e. chosen by the participant from different alternatives—IVR-PR), and narrative alone (CTR)—in reducing physiological and psychological stress in 16 pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) female patients (N = 16, average age: 46 ± 10.66 years; average education: 13.31 ± 3.8 years; mean duration of illness: 8.56 ± 5.24 years) following an acute stress. Methods: Patients performed a mental stress test followed by three different relaxation sessions presented in a randomized order on three separate occasions. Self-perceived stress, level of relaxation, and heart rate (HR) were monitored during the sessions. Participants' ratings of their experiences were also collected. Results: The results indicated that the three relaxation methods were equally effective in reducing perceived stress induced by acute stress and in lowering HR. However, greater cognitive activation was reported in the two IVR conditions compared with the narrative condition. Conclusions: This is the first study to show evidence of the impact of IVR on a rare population. Despite the lack of significant differences between the two IVR and narrative-alone conditions in physiological and subjective relaxation, more than half of the participants expressed a subjective preference for the virtual experience, especially for the preferred one. © 2026 The Author(s). British Journal of Health Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Psychological Society.
2.
Wiederhold, B. K.; Riva, G.; Bouchard, S.
Preface Journal Article
In: Annual Review of CyberTherapy and Telemedicine, vol. 2018, no. 16, 2018, ISSN: 15548716, (Publisher: Interactive Media Institute).
Links | BibTeX | Tags: editorial, health care delivery, health practitioner, human, lifespan, Mental health, neuroscience, periodic medical examination, quality of life, rehabilitation, Telemedicine, virtual reality
@article{wiederhold_preface_2018,
title = {Preface},
author = {B. K. Wiederhold and G. Riva and S. Bouchard},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85067878001&doi=10.1016%2fS1381-1177%2800%2900179-X&partnerID=40&md5=5891fab5add6c4d3317a04877358d6ff},
doi = {10.1016/S1381-1177(00)00179-X},
issn = {15548716},
year = {2018},
date = {2018-01-01},
journal = {Annual Review of CyberTherapy and Telemedicine},
volume = {2018},
number = {16},
publisher = {Interactive Media Institute},
note = {Publisher: Interactive Media Institute},
keywords = {editorial, health care delivery, health practitioner, human, lifespan, Mental health, neuroscience, periodic medical examination, quality of life, rehabilitation, Telemedicine, virtual reality},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
3.
Ansado, J.; Brulé, J.; Chasen, C.; Northoff, G.; Bouchard, S.
The virtual reality working-memory-training program (VR WORK M): Description of an individualized, integrated program Journal Article
In: Annual Review of CyberTherapy and Telemedicine, vol. 2018, no. 16, pp. 101–117, 2018, ISSN: 15548716, (Publisher: Interactive Media Institute).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: article, cognition, daily life activity, human, rehabilitation, task performance, training, virtual reality, working memory
@article{ansado_virtual_2018,
title = {The virtual reality working-memory-training program (VR WORK M): Description of an individualized, integrated program},
author = {J. Ansado and J. Brulé and C. Chasen and G. Northoff and S. Bouchard},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85067881079&partnerID=40&md5=c964c5af28aa91128bdeaa0b9b89e645},
issn = {15548716},
year = {2018},
date = {2018-01-01},
journal = {Annual Review of CyberTherapy and Telemedicine},
volume = {2018},
number = {16},
pages = {101–117},
publisher = {Interactive Media Institute},
abstract = {Working memory (WM), which allows us to retain information in memory during a complex task, is a cognitive function that is crucial to daily life. It can be affected by several neurological conditions, such as traumatic brain injury or stroke. Numerous studies suggest that it is possible to resolve WM deficits using targeted rehabilitation programs. Virtual reality (VR) is an innovative technology that has proven to be valuable in the evaluation and rehabilitation of cognitive functions. It potentially optimizes cognitive stimulation in a safe environment and can help improve functional activities of daily living by replicating real-life scenarios. With that in mind, this article introduces the first VR-based WM rehabilitation program. The WM training program (Virtual Reality Working-Memory-Training program, VR-WORK-M) recreates a restaurant environment where participants must complete a WM task consisting in repeating a series of items heard via a headset. The goal is to train WM by simulating a business proposal presentation. The program contains several levels of difficulty resulting from the combination of four complexity factors: (1) the type of business concerned by the proposal (e.g., opening a bakery vs. opening a flower shop); (2) the number of items to repeat (4 vs. 5 vs. 6); (3) the number of subtasks to complete before the WM task (e.g., introducing oneself vs order a drink); and (4) the modality of distractors (e.g., an auditory distractor vs. a visual distractor). VR-WORK-M includes 54 levels of difficulty to be administered in a training program over a period of four weeks, with four or five sessions per week. © 2018, Interactive Media Institute. All rights reserved.},
note = {Publisher: Interactive Media Institute},
keywords = {article, cognition, daily life activity, human, rehabilitation, task performance, training, virtual reality, working memory},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Working memory (WM), which allows us to retain information in memory during a complex task, is a cognitive function that is crucial to daily life. It can be affected by several neurological conditions, such as traumatic brain injury or stroke. Numerous studies suggest that it is possible to resolve WM deficits using targeted rehabilitation programs. Virtual reality (VR) is an innovative technology that has proven to be valuable in the evaluation and rehabilitation of cognitive functions. It potentially optimizes cognitive stimulation in a safe environment and can help improve functional activities of daily living by replicating real-life scenarios. With that in mind, this article introduces the first VR-based WM rehabilitation program. The WM training program (Virtual Reality Working-Memory-Training program, VR-WORK-M) recreates a restaurant environment where participants must complete a WM task consisting in repeating a series of items heard via a headset. The goal is to train WM by simulating a business proposal presentation. The program contains several levels of difficulty resulting from the combination of four complexity factors: (1) the type of business concerned by the proposal (e.g., opening a bakery vs. opening a flower shop); (2) the number of items to repeat (4 vs. 5 vs. 6); (3) the number of subtasks to complete before the WM task (e.g., introducing oneself vs order a drink); and (4) the modality of distractors (e.g., an auditory distractor vs. a visual distractor). VR-WORK-M includes 54 levels of difficulty to be administered in a training program over a period of four weeks, with four or five sessions per week. © 2018, Interactive Media Institute. All rights reserved.