BEEHIVE: Brain + Enriched Environments Lab

About the Project

What is the BEEhive?   

The Brain and Enriched Environment Lab: BEEhive is a research network focused on understanding how the brain interacts with its environment following trauma. We work closely with clinicians and those with lived neurotrauma experience to develop creative, environment-centred rehabilitation approaches.

Where and Who?

A collaboration between The Hopkins Centre at Griffith University and the Gold Coast Hospital’s Neurosciences Rehabilitation Unit, BEEhive is situated within the Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct.

Our multidisciplinary team includes cognitive neuroscientists, neuropsychologists, social scientists, designers, architects, engineers, medical specialists, allied health professionals, and citizen scientists. Together, we partner with industry, government, community, and private organisations to create spaces where people can truly thrive.

Our Mission   

Guided by collaboration, personalisation, and sustainable translation, we aim to enhance rehabilitation environments through three key areas:

Tech: Leveraging technological advancements.
Rec: Enhancing recreational opportunities.
Direct: Optimising immediate physical environments.

Our Approach

Our seven-stage research process ensures we deliver practical, personalised, and impactful solutions that make a difference.

Revolutionising neurotrauma care involves rethinking healthcare environments to support recovery. Traditional spaces, focused on safety and efficiency, can unintentionally stress patients. Environmental enrichment provides benefits including increasing therapy engagement, reducing depression, fostering social connections, and alleviating stress. The Beehive Lab integrates principles of environmental enrichment to enhance rehabilitation outcomes. This initiative bridges research and practice, offering innovative solutions for more supportive, healing environments.

Related publications:

• Michael F. Norwood, Chelsea H. Marsh, Danielle Pretty, Izak Hollins, Camila Shirota, Ben Chen, Louise Gustafsson, Elizabeth Kendall, Susan Jones & Heidi Zeeman (12 Feb 2025): The environment as an important component of neurorehabilitation: introducing the BEEhive - brain and enriched environment (BEE) lab (hive), Disability and Rehabilitation.
• Norwood, M. F., Lakhani, A., Maujean, A., Zeeman, H., Creux, O., & Kendall, E. (2019). Brain activity, underlying mood and the environment: A systematic review. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 65, 101321.

BEEHive projects

What effect does virtual reality-based nature exposure have on anxiety and depression in people with brain injury in a hospital rehabilitation ward?

Explore some of the project's co-designed immersive reality nature experiences designed to help reduce, stress and anxiety.

Related publications:

The project team are delighted to share the latest publications for this project below.

• Norwood, M. F., Bennett, J., Marsh, C. H., Jones, S., Gan, L., Hollins, I., ... & Gustafsson, L. (2025). Locally sourced: Bringing local natural environments to a neurorehabilitation ward with virtual reality. A feasibility randomised controlled trial on the impact on psychological distress. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 105, 102634.

Accessible National Parks Project    

The National Parks Accessibility Study aims to better understand the barriers and facilitators experienced by people with disability when accessing national parks and other greenspaces. Led by researchers from The Hopkins Centre and delivered as a joint initiative between the Department of Rehabilitation, Metro South Health and Griffith University, the project is exploring how physical, sensory, cognitive and social access can be improved to create more enabling and inclusive environments. Through the project, the team has developed an information video explaining the purpose and aims of the research, along with a National Park and other greenspace accessibility survey to gather the experiences and perspectives of people with disability. The findings will help inform future strategies to improve access so more Australians can experience the important social, cultural, health and wellbeing benefits of connecting with nature and greenspaces.

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Related publications

Norwood, M., Aplin, T., & Gustafsson, L. (2025). Nature-based interventions and nature interaction for people with acquired brain injury: A systematic scoping review. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 104, 102146.

If, How and Why Patients Modify and Personalise Their Rooms in Inpatient Neurorehabilitation Environments Project   

The Hopkins Centre Seed Project, If, How and Why Patients Modify and Personalise Their Rooms in Inpatient Neurorehabilitation Environments, sits under the BEEHIVE: Brain + Enriched Environments Lab umbrella and explores how people recovering from neurotrauma personalise and modify their hospital rooms, and how these changes may influence their comfort, wellbeing and rehabilitation experience. The project aims to build understanding of how more personalised and enriched healthcare environments can support person-centred rehabilitation and recovery. To help translate the research into practice, the project team has developed two new resources: a Personalising Your Space flyer, providing practical information for patients, families and clinicians, and a project poster, showcasing the research aims, approach and key insights.

Environmental Enrichment on the Neurorehabilitation Ward: A Collaborative Translation Project

The new Environmental Enrichment on the Neurorehabilitation Ward: A Collaborative Translation Project sits under The Hopkins Centre's BEEHIVE: Brain + Enriched Environments Lab umbrella and aims to co-create and evaluate two cost-effective environmental enrichment interventions for neurorehabilitation patients: nature murals and digital photo frames. Embedded within the Gold Coast University Hospital Neurorehabilitation Ward, the project will explore whether these personalised and engaging environmental changes can reduce psychological distress, improve patients' experiences of their rooms and support psychosocial wellbeing and recovery. Building on previous BEEHIVE research, including studies of virtual nature and how patients personalise their rehabilitation spaces, the project will also identify how these interventions work and develop practical implementation resources to support their sustainable use and potential translation to other rehabilitation settings.

Using Virtual Reality to Connect to Culture: Aims to Improve Psychological Functioning During Hospital Admission

Using Virtual Reality to Connect to Culture is an innovative research project led by Michelle Porter at Logan Hospital, in collaboration with The Hopkins Centre, exploring how culturally tailored virtual reality (VR) experiences can support psychological wellbeing for culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) patients during hospital admission. The project aims to co-design culturally relevant VR experiences with CALD community members and evaluate whether using these experiences within psychology sessions can strengthen connection to culture, improve emotional wellbeing and enhance therapeutic engagement. The project will also explore the feasibility and acceptability of VR in inpatient psychology services and generate evidence to support more culturally responsive, technology-enabled healthcare. Funded through a Metro South Health SERTA PA Hospital Foundation Novice Researcher Grant, the project is the first phase of a broader program of work focused on culturally responsive and technology-enhanced care.

Dimensional Attention Modelling for Neglect Detection (DIAMOND study): A novel application for brain injury

The Dimensional Attention Modelling for Neglect Detection (DIAMOND) study investigated a novel virtual reality assessment system, The Attention Atlas, to improve the detection and understanding of unilateral spatial neglect and other attentional difficulties following brain injury. The project mapped attention across three-dimensional space by incorporating natural head, hand and eye movements, with findings demonstrating the potential for immersive VR to provide more sensitive and detailed assessment than traditional methods. The research resulted in several publications, including:   

• The Attention Atlas virtual reality platform maps three-dimensional (3D) attention in unilateral spatial neglect patients: a protocol (2022)
• Immersive virtual reality gameplay detects visuospatial atypicality, including unilateral spatial neglect, following brain injury: a pilot study (2023) and
• Virtual reality gameplay classification illustrates the multidimensionality of visuospatial neglect (2024).

Related publications:

• Norwood, M. F., Painter, D. R., Marsh, C. H., Reid, C., Hine, T., Harvie, D. S., Jones, S., Dungey, K., Chen, B., Libera, M., Gan, L., Bernhardt, J., Kendall, E., & Zeeman, H. (2023). The attention atlas virtual reality platform maps three-dimensional (3D) attention in unilateral spatial neglect patients: a protocol. Brain impairment : a multidisciplinary journal of the Australian Society for the Study of Brain Impairment, 24(3), 548–567.
• Painter, D. R., Norwood, M. F., Marsh, C. H., Hine, T., Harvie, D., Libera, M., Bernhardt, J., Gan, L., & Zeeman, H. (2023). Immersive virtual reality gameplay detects visuospatial atypicality, including unilateral spatial neglect, following brain injury: a pilot study. Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation, 20(1), 161.
• Painter, D. R., Norwood, M. F., Marsh, C. H., Hine, T., Woodman, C., Libera, M., Harvie, D., Dungey, K., Chen, B., Bernhardt, J., Gan, L., Jones, S., & Zeeman, H. (2024). Virtual reality gameplay classification illustrates the multidimensionality of visuospatial neglect. Brain communications, 6(4), fcae145.