{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,26]],"date-time":"2026-01-26T10:43:06Z","timestamp":1769424186466,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":43,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2019,12,4]],"date-time":"2019-12-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1575417600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities of Spain","award":["PSI2013-42912-R and PSI2017-83222-R"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["PSI2013-42912-R and PSI2017-83222-R"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The clinical use of virtual reality (VR) has proven its efficacy, especially when used as an exposure technique. A prominent property of VR\u2019s utility is its equivalence with the reality it represents. In this study, we explored this equivalence in a clinical context using neuroimaging. A sample of 32 adults with specific phobias (i.e., to cockroaches, spiders, or lizards) was divided into two groups: One was exposed to phobic stimuli using VR and the other was exposed to real phobic images (RI). We used brain activations as a dependent measure, focusing specifically on brain areas usually associated with fear processing. Whole-brain analysis detected higher activations for RI in the hippocampus, occipital, and calcarine areas. A specific analysis of the amygdala and insula also detected higher activations and extensions in response to RI, but VR stimuli also activated those areas in a significant manner. These results suggest that even in those cases where RI stimuli activate all of the brain\u2019s fear-processing circuits, VR stimuli do so as well. This implies that VR can be useful as an exposure technique similar to RI and applied as more than a mere training mechanism.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm8122139","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2019,12,5]],"date-time":"2019-12-05T03:16:36Z","timestamp":1575515796000},"page":"2139","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":14,"title":["The Equivalence between Virtual and Real Feared Stimuli in a Phobic Adult Sample: A Neuroimaging Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"8","author":[{"given":"Wenceslao","family":"Pe\u00f1ate","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Universidad de La Laguna, 38200 La Laguna, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Francisco","family":"Rivero","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Universidad de La Laguna, 38200 La Laguna, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Conrado","family":"Vi\u00f1a","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Universidad de La Laguna, 38200 La Laguna, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Manuel","family":"Herrero","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Universidad de La Laguna, 38200 La Laguna, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7790-8557","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mois\u00e9s","family":"Betancort","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Universidad de La Laguna, 38200 La Laguna, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Juan","family":"De la Fuente","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Servicio Canario de la Salud, 38004 S.C. Tenerife, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Yolanda","family":"\u00c1lvarez-P\u00e9rez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Servicio Canario de la Salud, 38004 S.C. Tenerife, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7057-6644","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ascensi\u00f3n","family":"Fumero","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Universidad de La Laguna, 38200 La Laguna, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2019,12,4]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"37","article-title":"Virtual environments and psychological disorders","volume":"2","author":"North","year":"1994","journal-title":"Electron. J. 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