

de Recherche et d’Innovation
en Cybersécurité et Société
Corno, G.; Zamora, Á.; Bouchard, S.; Baños, R.; Baillot, A.; Monthuy-Blanc, J.
Exploring Virtual Reality for Body Image Assessment and Psychological Interventions in Individuals With Obesity: a Comprehensive Review Journal Article
In: Obesity Reviews, vol. 27, no. 4, 2026, ISSN: 14677881 (ISSN).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: adult, Anxiety disorder, Assertiveness, Bariatric Surgery, body dysmorphic disorder, body image, body image assessment, body image avoidance questionnaire, body image disturbances, body satisfaction scale, bulimia, Clinical research, cognitive behavioral therapy, cognitive therapy, Depression, electroconvulsive therapy, exercise, feeding behavior, female, follow up, gastric banding, geography, group therapy, human, Humans, Italy, low calorie diet, male, obesity, overnutrition, physical activity, procedures, psychology, psychotherapy, quality of life, review, social background, systematic review, Therapy, Three-Factor-Eating-Questionnaire, training, virtual reality
@article{cornoExploringVirtualReality2026,
title = {Exploring Virtual Reality for Body Image Assessment and Psychological Interventions in Individuals With Obesity: a Comprehensive Review},
author = {G. Corno and Á. Zamora and S. Bouchard and R. Baños and A. Baillot and J. Monthuy-Blanc},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105024457568?origin=resultslist},
doi = {10.1111/obr.70051},
issn = {14677881 (ISSN)},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-01-01},
journal = {Obesity Reviews},
volume = {27},
number = {4},
publisher = {John Wiley and Sons Inc},
abstract = {Introduction: Individuals living with obesity often experience body image (BI) disturbances, which can negatively affect their quality of life and treatment outcomes. Virtual reality (VR) has emerged as a promising tool for enhancing psychological interventions, but no comprehensive review has specifically focused on VR-based studies addressing BI disturbances in this population. Methods: This comprehensive review examined studies utilizing VR for the assessment and treatment of BI disturbances in individuals with obesity. Twelve studies met the inclusion criteria. Results: Studies were categorized into three groups: (i) VR in psychological interventions for individuals with obesity, (ii) VR interventions following metabolic and bariatric surgery, and (iii) VR-based full-body illusion experiments. The primary clinical application was experiential cognitive therapy, which demonstrated greater efficacy in reducing negative BI compared with standard cognitive behavioral therapy and other treatments. Studies involving post-metabolic and bariatric surgery adults also supported VR's efficacy in reducing BI dissatisfaction, though long-term benefits were inconsistent. Full-body illusion experiments suggested that VR can help modify distorted body perceptions. However, most studies were conducted by the same research group, focused exclusively on women, and were limited to specific geographical regions, primarily Italy. Conclusion: While preliminary results suggest that VR is a promising tool for treating BI disturbances in individuals with obesity, the field remains under-researched. Notably, no studies have explored VR's potential as an assessment tool in this population. Future studies should include more diverse populations, investigate long-term outcomes, and explore potential barriers to clinical implementation. © 2025 The Author(s). Obesity Reviews published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of World Obesity Federation.},
keywords = {adult, Anxiety disorder, Assertiveness, Bariatric Surgery, body dysmorphic disorder, body image, body image assessment, body image avoidance questionnaire, body image disturbances, body satisfaction scale, bulimia, Clinical research, cognitive behavioral therapy, cognitive therapy, Depression, electroconvulsive therapy, exercise, feeding behavior, female, follow up, gastric banding, geography, group therapy, human, Humans, Italy, low calorie diet, male, obesity, overnutrition, physical activity, procedures, psychology, psychotherapy, quality of life, review, social background, systematic review, Therapy, Three-Factor-Eating-Questionnaire, training, virtual reality},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Zhu, Y.; Falk, T.
WavRx: A Disease-Agnostic, Generalizable, and Privacy-Preserving Speech Health Diagnostic Model Journal Article
In: IEEE Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics, vol. 29, no. 9, pp. 6353–6365, 2025, ISSN: 21682194 (ISSN).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Agnostic, area under the curve, article, artificial neural network, asthma, autoencoder, Benchmarking, breathing, chronic obstructive lung disease, Computer-Assisted, controlled study, convolutional neural network, coronavirus disease 2019, Cross-domain, Databases, Diagnosis, Diagnostic, Diagnostic model, diagnostic test accuracy study, diagnostics, Differential privacy, Dynamics, dysarthria, Electronic health record, embedding, Embeddings, Factual, factual database, Generalizability, Health embedding, Health embeddings, Health monitoring, human, Humans, Machine learning, malignant neoplasm, model, Pathological speech, pathophysiology, physiology, pneumonia, Privacy, Privacy preserving, privacy preserving speech health diagnostic model, privacy-preserving, Privacy-preserving techniques, receiver operating characteristic, short time Fourier transform, Signal processing, speech, speech articulation, speech disorder, Speech Disorders, State of the art, temporal representation encoder, training, waveform
@article{zhuWavRxDiseaseAgnosticGeneralizable2025,
title = {WavRx: A Disease-Agnostic, Generalizable, and Privacy-Preserving Speech Health Diagnostic Model},
author = {Y. Zhu and T. Falk},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85203439930?origin=resultslist},
doi = {10.1109/JBHI.2024.3454550},
issn = {21682194 (ISSN)},
year = {2025},
date = {2025-01-01},
journal = {IEEE Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics},
volume = {29},
number = {9},
pages = {6353–6365},
publisher = {Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.},
abstract = {Speech is known to carry health-related attributes, which has emerged as a novel venue for remote and long-term health monitoring. However, existing models are usually tailored for a specific type of disease, and have been shown to lack generalizability across datasets. Furthermore, concerns have been raised recently towards the leakage of speaker identity from health embeddings. To mitigate these limitations, we propose WavRx, a speech health diagnostics model that captures the respiration and articulation related dynamics from a universal speech representation. Our in-domain and cross-domain experiments on six pathological speech datasets demonstrate WavRx as a new state-of-the-art health diagnostic model. Furthermore, we show that the amount of speaker identity entailed in the WavRx health embeddings is significantly reduced without extra guidance during training. An in-depth analysis of the model was performed, thus providing physiological interpretation of its improved generalizability and privacy-preserving ability. © 2013 IEEE.},
keywords = {Agnostic, area under the curve, article, artificial neural network, asthma, autoencoder, Benchmarking, breathing, chronic obstructive lung disease, Computer-Assisted, controlled study, convolutional neural network, coronavirus disease 2019, Cross-domain, Databases, Diagnosis, Diagnostic, Diagnostic model, diagnostic test accuracy study, diagnostics, Differential privacy, Dynamics, dysarthria, Electronic health record, embedding, Embeddings, Factual, factual database, Generalizability, Health embedding, Health embeddings, Health monitoring, human, Humans, Machine learning, malignant neoplasm, model, Pathological speech, pathophysiology, physiology, pneumonia, Privacy, Privacy preserving, privacy preserving speech health diagnostic model, privacy-preserving, Privacy-preserving techniques, receiver operating characteristic, short time Fourier transform, Signal processing, speech, speech articulation, speech disorder, Speech Disorders, State of the art, temporal representation encoder, training, waveform},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Bogie, B. J. M.; Noël, C.; Gu, F.; Nadeau, S.; Shvetz, C.; Khan, H.; Rivard, M. -C.; Bouchard, S.; Lepage, M.; Guimond, S.
Using virtual reality to improve verbal episodic memory in schizophrenia: A proof-of-concept trial Journal Article
In: Schizophrenia Research: Cognition, vol. 36, 2024, ISSN: 22150013 (ISSN), (Publisher: Elsevier Inc.).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: adult, article, clinical article, clinical assessment, Cognitive remediation therapy, cybersickness, disease severity, dizziness, Ecological treatment, Episodic memory, exclusion VR criteria questionnaire, feasibility study, female, Hopkins verbal learning test, human, male, mini international neuropsychiatric interview, nausea, outcome assessment, Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, Proof of concept, questionnaire, randomized controlled trial, schizophrenia, scoring system, Semantic encoding, Semantics, task performance, training, Verbal memory, virtual reality, vr experience questionnaire
@article{bogie_using_2024,
title = {Using virtual reality to improve verbal episodic memory in schizophrenia: A proof-of-concept trial},
author = {B. J. M. Bogie and C. Noël and F. Gu and S. Nadeau and C. Shvetz and H. Khan and M. -C. Rivard and S. Bouchard and M. Lepage and S. Guimond},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85186986986&doi=10.1016%2fj.scog.2024.100305&partnerID=40&md5=a15c598b45b8f44a40b25fe5fd078a06},
doi = {10.1016/j.scog.2024.100305},
issn = {22150013 (ISSN)},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-01-01},
journal = {Schizophrenia Research: Cognition},
volume = {36},
publisher = {Elsevier Inc.},
abstract = {Background: Schizophrenia is associated with impairments in verbal episodic memory. Strategy for Semantic Association Memory (SESAME) training represents a promising cognitive remediation program to improve verbal episodic memory. Virtual reality (VR) may be a novel tool to increase the ecological validity and transfer of learned skills of traditional cognitive remediation programs. The present proof-of-concept study aimed to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a VR-based cognitive remediation module inspired by SESAME principles to improve the use of verbal episodic memory strategies in schizophrenia. Methods: Thirty individuals with schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder completed this study. Participants were randomized to either a VR-based verbal episodic memory training condition inspired by SESAME principles (intervention group) or an active control condition (control group). In the training condition, a coach taught semantic encoding strategies (active rehearsal and semantic clustering) to help participants remember restaurant orders in VR. In the active control condition, participants completed visuospatial puzzles in VR. Attrition rate, participant experience ratings, and cybersickness questionnaires were used to assess feasibility and acceptability. Trial 1 of the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test – Revised was administered pre- and post-intervention to assess preliminary efficacy. Results: Feasibility was demonstrated by a low attrition rate (5.88 %), and acceptability was demonstrated by limited cybersickness and high levels of enjoyment. Although the increase in the number of semantic clusters used following the module did not reach conventional levels of statistical significance in the intervention group, it demonstrated a notable trend with a medium effect size (t = 1.48},
note = {Publisher: Elsevier Inc.},
keywords = {adult, article, clinical article, clinical assessment, Cognitive remediation therapy, cybersickness, disease severity, dizziness, Ecological treatment, Episodic memory, exclusion VR criteria questionnaire, feasibility study, female, Hopkins verbal learning test, human, male, mini international neuropsychiatric interview, nausea, outcome assessment, Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, Proof of concept, questionnaire, randomized controlled trial, schizophrenia, scoring system, Semantic encoding, Semantics, task performance, training, Verbal memory, virtual reality, vr experience questionnaire},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Bogie, B. J. M.; Noël, C.; Gu, F.; Nadeau, S.; Shvetz, C.; Khan, H.; Rivard, M. -C.; Bouchard, S.; Lepage, M.; Guimond, S.
Using virtual reality to improve verbal episodic memory in schizophrenia: A proof-of-concept trial Journal Article
In: Schizophrenia Research: Cognition, vol. 36, 2024, ISSN: 22150013 (ISSN).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: adult, article, clinical article, clinical assessment, Cognitive remediation therapy, cybersickness, disease severity, dizziness, Ecological treatment, Episodic memory, exclusion VR criteria questionnaire, feasibility study, female, Hopkins verbal learning test, human, male, mini international neuropsychiatric interview, nausea, outcome assessment, Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, Proof of concept, questionnaire, randomized controlled trial, schizophrenia, scoring system, Semantic encoding, Semantics, task performance, training, Verbal memory, virtual reality, vr experience questionnaire
@article{bogieUsingVirtualReality2024,
title = {Using virtual reality to improve verbal episodic memory in schizophrenia: A proof-of-concept trial},
author = {B. J. M. Bogie and C. Noël and F. Gu and S. Nadeau and C. Shvetz and H. Khan and M. -C. Rivard and S. Bouchard and M. Lepage and S. Guimond},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85186986986&doi=10.1016%2fj.scog.2024.100305&partnerID=40&md5=a15c598b45b8f44a40b25fe5fd078a06},
doi = {10.1016/j.scog.2024.100305},
issn = {22150013 (ISSN)},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-01-01},
journal = {Schizophrenia Research: Cognition},
volume = {36},
publisher = {Elsevier Inc.},
abstract = {Background: Schizophrenia is associated with impairments in verbal episodic memory. Strategy for Semantic Association Memory (SESAME) training represents a promising cognitive remediation program to improve verbal episodic memory. Virtual reality (VR) may be a novel tool to increase the ecological validity and transfer of learned skills of traditional cognitive remediation programs. The present proof-of-concept study aimed to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a VR-based cognitive remediation module inspired by SESAME principles to improve the use of verbal episodic memory strategies in schizophrenia. Methods: Thirty individuals with schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder completed this study. Participants were randomized to either a VR-based verbal episodic memory training condition inspired by SESAME principles (intervention group) or an active control condition (control group). In the training condition, a coach taught semantic encoding strategies (active rehearsal and semantic clustering) to help participants remember restaurant orders in VR. In the active control condition, participants completed visuospatial puzzles in VR. Attrition rate, participant experience ratings, and cybersickness questionnaires were used to assess feasibility and acceptability. Trial 1 of the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test – Revised was administered pre- and post-intervention to assess preliminary efficacy. Results: Feasibility was demonstrated by a low attrition rate (5.88 %), and acceptability was demonstrated by limited cybersickness and high levels of enjoyment. Although the increase in the number of semantic clusters used following the module did not reach conventional levels of statistical significance in the intervention group, it demonstrated a notable trend with a medium effect size (t = 1.48},
keywords = {adult, article, clinical article, clinical assessment, Cognitive remediation therapy, cybersickness, disease severity, dizziness, Ecological treatment, Episodic memory, exclusion VR criteria questionnaire, feasibility study, female, Hopkins verbal learning test, human, male, mini international neuropsychiatric interview, nausea, outcome assessment, Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, Proof of concept, questionnaire, randomized controlled trial, schizophrenia, scoring system, Semantic encoding, Semantics, task performance, training, Verbal memory, virtual reality, vr experience questionnaire},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Ansado, J.; Chasen, C.; Bouchard, S.; Northoff, G.
How brain imaging provides predictive biomarkers for therapeutic success in the context of virtual reality cognitive training Journal Article
In: Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, vol. 120, pp. 583–594, 2021, ISSN: 01497634, (Publisher: Elsevier Ltd).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: accuracy, attention deficit disorder, biological monitoring, brain depth stimulation, brain electrophysiology, brain radiography, brain region, cell function, cerebrovascular accident, clinician, cognition, Cognitive rehabilitation, disease marker, electroencephalogram, Electroencephalography, functional magnetic resonance imaging, functional near-infrared spectroscopy, human, image quality, in vivo study, nerve cell, neuroimaging, neurologic disease, neuropsychological test, neuropsychology, neurorehabilitation, nonhuman, prediction, priority journal, review, therapy effect, training, traumatic brain injury, virtual reality, virtual reality cognitive training
@article{ansado_how_2021,
title = {How brain imaging provides predictive biomarkers for therapeutic success in the context of virtual reality cognitive training},
author = {J. Ansado and C. Chasen and S. Bouchard and G. Northoff},
url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85089070480&doi=10.1016%2fj.neubiorev.2020.05.018&partnerID=40&md5=8e5ea676958e050b32a893830dbc2a93},
doi = {10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.05.018},
issn = {01497634},
year = {2021},
date = {2021-01-01},
journal = {Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews},
volume = {120},
pages = {583–594},
publisher = {Elsevier Ltd},
abstract = {As Virtual reality (VR) is increasingly used in neurological disorders such as stroke, traumatic brain injury, or attention deficit disorder, the question of how it impacts the brain's neuronal activity and function becomes essential. VR can be combined with neuroimaging to offer invaluable insight into how the targeted brain areas respond to stimulation during neurorehabilitation training. That, in turn, could eventually serve as a predictive marker for therapeutic success. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) identified neuronal activity related to blood flow to reveal with a high spatial resolution how activation patterns change, and restructuring occurs after VR training. Portable and quiet, electroencephalography (EEG) conveniently allows the clinician to track spontaneous electrical brain activity in high temporal resolution. Then, functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) combines the spatial precision level of fMRIs with the portability and high temporal resolution of EEG to constitute an ideal measuring tool in virtual environments (VEs). This narrative review explores the role of VR and concurrent neuroimaging in cognitive rehabilitation. © 2020 Elsevier Ltd},
note = {Publisher: Elsevier Ltd},
keywords = {accuracy, attention deficit disorder, biological monitoring, brain depth stimulation, brain electrophysiology, brain radiography, brain region, cell function, cerebrovascular accident, clinician, cognition, Cognitive rehabilitation, disease marker, electroencephalogram, Electroencephalography, functional magnetic resonance imaging, functional near-infrared spectroscopy, human, image quality, in vivo study, nerve cell, neuroimaging, neurologic disease, neuropsychological test, neuropsychology, neurorehabilitation, nonhuman, prediction, priority journal, review, therapy effect, training, traumatic brain injury, virtual reality, virtual reality cognitive training},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
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}
}
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.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: article, cognition, daily life activity, human, rehabilitation, task performance, training, virtual reality, working memory
@article{ansadoVirtualRealityWorkingmemorytraining2018,
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.},
keywords = {article, cognition, daily life activity, human, rehabilitation, task performance, training, virtual reality, working memory},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}



