What the brain shows: The benefits of virtual reality in creative arts therapies

Researchers examined the differences in prefrontal cortex (PFC) activation between two distinct drawing tasks in virtual reality. Results of the study indicated significant differences between a rote tracing task and a creative self-expression task, with the rote tracing task showing an increase in PFC activity. It also showed there was reduced PFC activation for creative self-expressive tasks, indicating a possible relaxation response.