Xu Liwei, Wang Bitian, Xu Gongcheng, Wang Wei, Liu Zhian, Li Zengyong
Key Laboratory of High Efficiency and Clean Mechanical Manufacture, School of Mechanical Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan, 250061, PR China.
Key Laboratory of Rehabilitation Aids Technology and System of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, National Research Center for Rehabilitation Technical Aids, Beijing, 100176, PR China.
Neurosci Lett. 2017 Feb 15;640:21-28. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2017.01.018. Epub 2017 Jan 10.
Noninvasive and accurate assessment of driving fatigue in relation to brain activity during long-term driving can contribute to traffic safety and accident prevention. This study evaluated functional connectivity (FC) in relevant brain regions. Synergistic mechanisms in different brain regions were detected by a novel simulator, which combined semi-immersive virtual reality technology and functional near-infrared spectroscopy. Each subject was instructed to complete driving tasks coupled with a mental calculation task. Wavelet coherence (WCO) and wavelet phase coherence (WPCO) were calculated and assessed in frequency intervals (I) 0.6-2 and (II) 0.145-0.6Hz as global connectivity measures; (III) 0.052-0.145, (IV) 0.021-0.052, (V) 0.0095-0.021 and (VI) 0.005-0.0095Hz as FC. WCO and WPCO revealed the strength and synchronization of cerebral connectivity, respectively. Significantly low WCO levels were found in intervals I and III in prefrontal cortex (PFC) and IV in motor cortex (MC) at the end of the driving task. Furthermore, significantly low WPCO were found in intervals I, and III in PFC and interval IV in MC. Experimental findings suggested that progressive mental fatigue adversely influences the cognitive function in the PFC and the cooperative mechanism between the PFC and MC.
长期驾驶过程中对与大脑活动相关的驾驶疲劳进行无创且准确的评估有助于交通安全和事故预防。本研究评估了相关脑区的功能连接（FC）。通过一种结合了半沉浸式虚拟现实技术和功能近红外光谱的新型模拟器检测不同脑区的协同机制。每位受试者被要求完成驾驶任务并同时进行心算任务。计算并评估了小波相干性（WCO）和小波相位相干性（WPCO），在频率区间（I）0.6 - 2Hz和（II）0.145 - 0.6Hz作为全局连接性指标；在频率区间（III）0.052 - 0.145Hz、（IV）0.021 - 0.052Hz、（V）0.0095 - 0.021Hz和（VI）0.005 - 0.0095Hz作为功能连接指标。WCO和WPCO分别揭示了大脑连接的强度和同步性。在驾驶任务结束时，前额叶皮层（PFC）的区间I和III以及运动皮层（MC）的区间IV中发现WCO水平显著降低。此外，在PFC的区间I和III以及MC的区间IV中发现WPCO显著降低。实验结果表明，渐进性精神疲劳会对PFC的认知功能以及PFC与MC之间的协作机制产生不利影响。
