Tohoku University Cognitive Neuroscience Application Center

Date: October 11, 2025 (Saturday)
Event: Katahira Festival 2025
Organizer: Human Brain Science Laboratory (Sugiura Lab)

【Overview】
At this year’s Katahira Festival 2025, the Sugiura Lab presented a Virtual Reality (VR) experience booth.
The exhibit was based on an ongoing research project and featured the theme:
“Heart-Racing VR Heights Experience – How Does Surprise Affect the Brain?”
Visitors were invited to immerse themselves in a simulated high-altitude environment and experience how emotions such as fear and excitement are scientifically studied and analyzed.
【Experience Details】
Participants wore VR headsets and performed a short walking task in a virtual high-place scenario. Afterward, researchers demonstrated a simple motion analysis based on recorded behavioral data and explained how VR experiences are utilized in neuroscience research (e.g., fMRI studies).
This setup allowed visitors to intuitively understand the connection between emotion, behavior, and brain activity.
【Public Response】
A total of 66 visitors took part—about three times the initial expectation.
The engaging content attracted a wide audience: many parents asked to try the experience after their children, and even on-site staff couldn’t resist joining in.
Thanks to the numbered ticket system organized by Guan-san, the event ran smoothly without confusion.
Participants commented enthusiastically:
“This was so fascinating!”
“I hope such research can be applied in real life!”
【Outlook】
Through this event, the research team reaffirmed that hands-on experience is one of the most effective ways to communicate science to the public.
CogNAC will continue to host outreach activities that bring neuroscience closer to society and foster engagement between researchers and the community.