The virtual reality task was programmed using UnrealEngine2 Runtime software (Epic Games; http://udn.epicgames.com/). The unit for all coordinates is the virtual meter (1 vm = 62.5 Unreal Units). Participants navigated in a first person view within a 3-dimensional virtual environment (VE) as shown in Fig. 1A. While participants were lying in the MRI scanner, the…
To assess whether effects extended beyond resting state to tasks that increased cognitive load and therefore brain metabolic demand, for the diet study and case study, participants additionally navigated virtual reality mazes using an MR-compatible joystick (Nata Technologies). We created these mazes using the Aldous–Broder algorithm in Daedalus (https://www.astrolog.org/labyrnth/daedalus.htm) and programmed them for a virtual…
The fMRI session took place the next day. The participant’s laptop was connected to a high-resolution LCD screen in the scanner room. The screen was visible to the participant in the scanner via a mirror positioned at the top of the radiofrequency head coil. Participants interacted with their laptop using an MRI-compatible optical mouse (NAtA…
Healthy controls underwent 3T MRI (MAGNETOM TrioTim, Siemens, Medical Systems, Erlangen, Germany) to acquire: (a) T1-weighted volumetric sequence (TR = 11.0 ms, TE = 5.0 ms, FOV = 1536*1536 mm2, matrix = 208*256, slice thickness = 8.0 mm, flip angle = 7.0°), and (b) two runs of gradient echo planar imaging fMRI (TR = 1.5…
The present experimental design resembled that of our previous study ( Ulrich et al. , 2014 ). Major changes, however, applied to the length and number of blocks to meet the requirements imposed by the experimental realization as an fMRI block design to measure the blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal. Subjects performed visually presented mental arithmetic tasks. On each trial,…
The tasks were developed using Pygame 1.9.1. Participants played two different games: a numerical game termed the “harbormaster game” and a visuo-spatial game termed the “nursery game.” In the harbormaster game, participants were asked to play the role of a harbormaster at a busy port. As such, participants were presented with three boats arriving at…