Extended Reality in Environmental Neuroscience Research

Extended reality (XR) technologies provide unique opportunities for environmental neuroscience research. XR can recreate complex environments and stimuli with heightened levels of immersion, presence, and ecological validity compared to traditional lab experiments or field studies alone. By combining the experimental control of lab studies with the authenticity of real-world environments, XR enables researchers to examine neural, cognitive, and behavioral responses to environmental conditions in more naturalistic and systematic ways. This chapter outlines the history, key concepts, and features of XR and explores its applications in research on environmental cognition, emotion, spatial navigation, and more. XR can facilitate investigating environments that may be logistically challenging, hazardous, or impossible in the real world. XR also enables researchers to develop adaptive environments that respond to users’ psychological, behavioral, and neural feedback. However, fully realizing the potential of XR requires overcoming challenges regarding the quality of simulations, user experience, accessibility, integrating neuroimaging modalities, and validating its effectiveness compared to conventional methods. Advancements in XR and related computer and environmental science fields may lead to closed-loop brain–computer interaction paradigms offering immersive and personalized experiences for diverse research questions and applications. With thoughtful development focused on human values and well-being, XR’s future promises expanded possibilities for understanding and improving the profound ways our brains interact with the surrounding world.