## 1 Introduction
Despite these compelling hypotheses, few empirical studies have tested the relationship between cave environments and the induction of ASCs using controlled experimental designs. This might be due to the fact that caves present a very complex sensory environment, with their relcusiveness, darkness, acoustics, and spatial constraints eluding controlled experimental replication. Logistical and safety constraints hinder in situ studies of caves, restricting access to their sensory richness. The advent of virtual reality (VR) technology offers an innovative approach to addressing this research gap. VR provides an immersive and repeatable platform to simulate the sensory-rich environments of caves, allowing researchers to explore how such conditions might have impacted the cognition and consciousness of early humans. Immersive VR technologies, using head-mounted displays and high-resolution 3D environments, enable manipulation of sensory inputs--visual, auditory, and sometimes even haptic stimuli--making them ideal for inducing ASCs. VR's strength lies in its ability to generate immersive, realistic, and interactive environments that foster the psychological experience of \"being there\" [15]. This sense of presence has been shown to enhance emotional and cognitive engagement, making VR an effective tool for inducing powerful and transformative experiences [16]. For instance, research has demonstrated that VR's capacity to recreate vast and complex stimuli can evoke strong emotional responses, such as awe, even in the absence of visual or narrative modifications [17]. In other studies, VR environments mimicking natural settings, such as green spaces, have improved the emotional well-being and cognitive restoration of the participants [18; 19]. Furthermore, VR simulations of perceptual alterations, such as visual hallucinations, have the potential to induce alterations in the state of consciousness [20]. In a recent study [21], exposure to dynamic and ambiguous visual stimuli in VR, reminiscent of parei-dolic imagery, allowed participants to reinterpret their environment and break free from automatic responses. These findings show VR's capacity to replicate the disorienting and immersive qualities of ASCs, making it a powerful tool to investigate how environmental factors and distorted perceptions--like those in natural cave settings--can shape human cognition and creativity. Recently, [PERSON] and colleagues [22] have explored with VR how cave settings may have triggered pareidolia--a perceptual phenomenon where people perceive meaningful forms in random patterns--which potentially contributed to early humans' creation of animal depictions on cave walls. In their study, participants in VR were shown 3D models of cave walls with the art removed and were asked to identify shapes; eye-tracking was used to determine visual focus. The findings suggest that modern participants' pareidolic responses corresponded with the locations and forms of animals depicted by Paleolithic artists, thus implying that the immersive and dimly lit cave environment may have facilitated altered perceptual states conducive to artmaking. In another very recent study [13], the authors explored how VR can recreate the sensory and perceptual conditions of Paleolithic cave environments to facilitate archaeological understanding. Through an immersive VR simulation of Atcurra cave in Northern Spain, the study replicated prehistoric lighting and spatial organization based on archaeological and experimental data. This realistic reconstruction allowed researchers to examine the multisensory challenges and cognitive states that prehistoric humans may have encountered in these settings. By simulating these unique conditions, the study underscores VR's potential as a powerful tool for investigating how ancient environments influenced cognition and cultural expression.