Virtual Reality and tACS for Performance Enhancement

Virtual Reality and tACS for Performance Enhancement

The chronic stress of police work may reduce human performance through increases in anxiety, depression, pain, and insomnia. Land's End VR may teach mindful meditation that is associated with reduced anxiety, depression, pain, and insomnia. tACS may produce similar effects to Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) without the side effect risks of SSRIs by stimulating neurotransmitter production and modulating the default mode network, resulting in reduced anxiety, depression, pain, and insomnia. These two technologies have not been investigated as interventions among police officers. Therefore, we propose a pilot randomized waitlist-controlled crossover trial of the feasibility and efficacy of Land's End VR and tACS among police officers.

Inclusion Criteria:

• 18 years of age and older
• English-Speaking (The measures have not been validated in other languages).
• Willing and able to provide informed consent and participate in the study visit and study follow-up questionnaires
• Able to position head completely upright (90 degrees from the ground) in order to view the entirety of the Virtual Reality video

Exclusion Criteria:

• Hearing or visually impaired where they cannot use the Samsung Gear VR
• History of motion sickness or cyber sickness and unwilling to watch a 10-minute virtual reality video because of it
• Unable to position head completely upright (90 degrees from the ground)
• History of seizures
• Lesions, rashes, or open wounds on face, head, neck, or ears
• Medical device implanted in the head or neck
• Participants with pacemakers
• Participants with known or suspected heart disease