Stepping Inside 3D Brain Data using Virtual Reality

Overview

During November and December 2025, Dr. María Fernanda Veloz Castillo presented her PhD research at two international conferences: the Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting in San Diego (November 15-19) and the Nature Conference on Brain Energy Metabolism in Health and Disease (December 3-5). At both events, the work presented highlighted the results of her doctoral research focused on glycogen metabolism during learning, with particular emphasis on the structural insights gained through advanced imaging using volume electron microscopy (vEM) and 3D reconstruction of key cellular compartments.

A key component of this work was developed in close collaboration between the Laboratory of Prof. Pierre Magistretti and Dr. Ronell Sicat from the KAUST Visualization Core Lab, which explored how immersive visualization could enhance not only data analysis, but also scientific communication.

Turning Poster Presentations into Immersive Journeys

The datasets presented at both conferences consisted of large vEM image stacks of hippocampal brain tissue, comparing focused-beam microwave fixation with chemical fixation. Key structures from these datasets were reconstructed in 3D to better capture the spatial organization relevant to glycogen metabolism in learning-related processes.

To allow conference attendees to truly appreciate the scale, complexity, and spatial relationships within these datasets, the team went beyond a traditional poster-only format. Instead, the 3D reconstructions were placed inside a metaverse environment, where participants could explore them interactively using a Meta Quest 3 virtual reality (VR) headset. The virtual room also included the poster itself, allowing attendees to move freely between reading the content and figures, and directly engaging with the data in three dimensions.

This immersive setup had a clear impact on how people interacted with the work. Attendees were noticeably more inclined to stop at the poster, ask questions, and spend time exploring the data. The ability to navigate the 3D reconstructions made it easier to explain why spatial context is critical for interpreting biological processes such as glycogen distribution and metabolism in the hippocampus.

Finally, these poster presentations demonstrated how immersive visualization can bridge the gap between complex datasets and clear scientific storytelling. Integrating virtual reality and metaverse-based visualization into conference presentations not only improved audience engagement but also more effectively communicated the relevance and impact of 3D biological data.

This work highlights the growing role of visualization, not just as a final step for presentation, but as an integral component of modern biomedical research and knowledge exchange.

Click here to download full pdf version of poster.

Text and photo c/o Ms. Veloz.