Research Planning Department, Research Division, Nissan Motor Co., LTD., Yokosuka Kanagawa 237-8523, Japan.
Advanced Materials and Processing Laboratory, Research Division, Nissan Motor Co., LTD., Yokosuka Kanagawa 237-8523, Japan.
Neurosci Lett. 2021 Nov 20;765:136281. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2021.136281. Epub 2021 Sep 30.
To develop a suitable automobile design as per each driver's characteristics and state, it is important to understand the brain function in acquiring driving skills. Reportedly, the brain structures of professionals, such as athletes and musicians, and those who have received training in special skills, undergo changes with training. However, the development process of the brain in terms of acquiring driving skills has not yet been clarified. In this study, we evaluated the effects of driving training on the brain and observed an increase in the volume of the right cerebellum after short-term training (3 days). The right cerebellum is responsible for controlling the right hand and right foot, which are important for driving. Drivers train to control a vehicle smoothly at high speeds at gymkhana and pylon slalom courses, which are often used in motor sports. The brain structure was analyzed before and after training using magnetic resonance imaging. Voxel-based morphometry was used to assess possible structural changes. First, the lap times after training were clearly shortened and vehicle dynamics were more stable, indicating that the drivers' skill level clearly improved. Second, brain structural analysis revealed a volumetric increase in the right cerebellum. The cerebellum is involved in the process of learning sensory motor skills, such as smooth steering and pedal operations, driving course shape, and vehicle size perception. These results suggest a new inner model for driving operation and support the hypothesis that motor learning affects the cerebellum during vehicle driving training.
为了根据每个驾驶员的特点和状态开发出合适的汽车设计，了解大脑在掌握驾驶技能方面的功能非常重要。据报道，运动员和音乐家等专业人士以及接受特殊技能训练的人员的大脑结构会随着训练而发生变化。然而，掌握驾驶技能的大脑发育过程尚未阐明。在这项研究中，我们评估了驾驶训练对大脑的影响，观察到短期训练（3 天）后右小脑体积增加。右小脑负责控制右手和右脚，这对驾驶很重要。驾驶员在场地赛和标杆回转赛中进行训练，以在高速度下平稳地控制车辆，这些都是赛车运动中常用的训练项目。使用磁共振成像在训练前后分析大脑结构。体素形态计量学用于评估可能的结构变化。首先，训练后的单圈时间明显缩短，车辆动态更稳定，表明驾驶员的技能水平明显提高。其次，大脑结构分析显示右小脑体积增加。小脑参与学习感觉运动技能的过程，例如平稳转向和踏板操作、驾驶路线形状以及对车辆大小的感知。这些结果为驾驶操作提供了新的内在模型，并支持了运动学习在车辆驾驶训练过程中影响小脑的假设。
