Brain Function Analysis of Watching an Automobile Driving Hazard Prediction Video: fNIRS Study of the Prefrontal Cortex

KIMURA, Naotoshi; HIRANO, Daisuke; NOZAWA, Hana; TANIGUCHI, Takamichi · 2021 · Crossref

DOI: 10.1589/rika.36.415

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Summary

This study investigates how daily driving habits influence prefrontal cortex activity during the perception of driving hazards. Motivated by high traffic accident rates among young drivers and the need to extend safe driving longevity for older adults, the research aims to clarify the neural mechanisms underlying hazard prediction. Specifically, it examines whether individuals with daily driving habits exhibit different brain activation patterns compared to those without such habits when viewing videos requiring hazard anticipation. The study involved 11 healthy adults holding driver’s licenses, divided into two groups: five participants with daily driving habits (average age 23.8 years) and six without daily habits (average age 19.3 years). All participants had no history of neurological disorders. Brain activity in the prefrontal cortex was measured using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), focusing on changes in oxygenated hemoglobin (oxy-Hb) concentration. Participants viewed three types of 20-second video clips: a control task involving eye movements, a hazard task depicting a car overtaking a bicycle, and a non-hazard task depicting driving without a bicycle. The experimental design used a block structure with 30-second rest periods. Data were analyzed by dividing the prefrontal region into right, central, and left regions of interest (ROIs), using Kruskal-Wallis tests and Bonferroni-corrected multiple comparisons. Results indicated significant differences in brain activity based on driving habits. In the group with daily driving habits, watching the overtaking (hazard) task caused a significant increase in oxy-Hb concentration in both the right prefrontal region (compared to the control task) and the left prefrontal region (compared to both the control and non-hazard tasks). In contrast, the group without daily driving habits showed no significant differences in oxy-Hb concentration across any of the three tasks in any prefrontal region. Despite the lack of significant brain activity changes, all participants in both groups correctly identified the bicycle as a hazard during post-task interviews. The findings suggest that daily driving habits modulate prefrontal cortex activation during hazard prediction. The increased activity in experienced drivers likely reflects enhanced cognitive engagement and attentional processes required to anticipate and judge potential dangers, such as the movement of a bicycle. Conversely, the lack of significant activation in inexperienced drivers may indicate that the mere act of watching driving videos activates their prefrontal cortex regardless of hazard presence, possibly due to stress or tension rather than specific hazard processing. The study concludes that fNIRS can detect differences in cognitive load related to driving experience, offering potential for early identification of drivers at risk and informing interventions to improve driving safety. Limitations include the small sample size, gender imbalance, and the use of explicit rather than latent hazards in the videos.

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Topics

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• hazard perception
• hazard perception training
• anticipation