Department of Occupational Health and Ergonomics, Faculty of Health, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; Student Research Committee, Faculty of Health, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
Department of Occupational Health and Ergonomics, Faculty of Health, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; Road Traffic Injury Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
Physiol Behav. 2022 Aug 1;252:113842. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2022.113842. Epub 2022 May 11.
The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of mental workload (MWL) and time of day on cognitive performance and electroencephalographic (EEG) parameters of air traffic controllers. EEG signals recorded while 20 professional air traffic controllers performed cognitive tasks [A-X Continuous Performance Test (AX-CPT) and 3-back working memory task] after they were exposed to two levels of task difficulty (high and low MWL) in the morning and afternoon. Significant decreases in cognitive performance were found when the levels of task difficulty increased in both tasks. The results confirmed the sensitivity of the theta and beta activities to levels of task difficulty in the 3-back task, while they were not affected in the AX-CPT. Theta and beta activities were influenced by time of day in the AX-CPT. The findings provide guidance for application of changes in EEG parameters when MWL level is manipulated during the day that could be implemented in future for the development of real-time monitoring systems to improve aviation safety.
本研究旨在探讨精神工作负荷（MWL）和一天中的时间对空中交通管制员认知表现和脑电图（EEG）参数的影响。记录了 20 名专业空中交通管制员在上午和下午暴露于两种任务难度水平（高和低 MWL）后执行认知任务[AX 连续性能测试（AX-CPT）和 3 回工作记忆任务]时的 EEG 信号。当任务难度水平在两项任务中增加时，认知表现明显下降。结果证实了θ和β活动在 3 回任务中对任务难度水平的敏感性，而在 AX-CPT 中不受影响。θ和β活动在 AX-CPT 中受到一天中时间的影响。这些发现为在白天操纵 MWL 水平时应用 EEG 参数变化提供了指导，这可以在未来用于开发实时监测系统以提高航空安全性。
