Utilizing Virtual Reality to Improve the Ecological Validity of Clinical Neuropsychology: An fMRI Case Study Elucidating the Neural Basis of Planning by Comparing the Tower of London with a Three-Dimensional Navigation Task

Abstract

Virtual reality (VR) was used to create an ecologically valid spatial-navigation task in hand with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to articulate the neural basis of planning behavior. A virtual version of a traditional planning measure, the Tower of London, was also developed to ascertain convergent and divergent validity in terms of planning behavior and functional neuroanatomy. This VR-fMRI case study experiment was performed at 3.0 Tesla on a young healthy male subject. The obtained image data suggest both convergent and divergent specificity between the two conditions in terms of location and overall intensity of activation. Overall, the present case study provides supportive evidence that the activity of various brain regions associated with planning tasks is largely modulated by the ecological validity of the measure being used. This finding may extend to all domains of inquiry in neuropsychological research and assessment when deductive conclusions are formulated on the results of neuropsychological test measures that could be considered contrived in nature.

Key words:

• executive function
• functional MRI
• neuropsychology
• planning
• virtual reality

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This work was funded in part by grants from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, and the Premier's Research Excellence Award. The authors also wish to acknowledge Diano Marrone for his assistance with the creation of the virtual city environment developed in this study.

Notes

¹FOV = Field of View; TE = Echo Time; TR = Repetition Time; θ = Flip Time.

∗Note. LMFG = Left Middle Frontal Gyrus, LAC = Left Anterior Cingulate; RMFG = Right Middle Frontal Gyrus; RAC = Right Anterior Cortex. These coordinates are based on the Talairach and Tournoux (1988) stereotaxic system.

∗Note. LMFG = Left Middle Frontal Gyrus, LAC = Left Anterior Cingulate; RMFG = Right Middle Frontal Gyrus; RAC = Right Anterior Cortex. These coordinates are based on the Talairach and Tournoux (1988) stereotaxic system.