Greater Activity in the Frontal Cortex on Left Curves: A Vector-Based fNIRS Study of Left and Right Curve Driving.

Oka, Noriyuki; Yoshino, Kayoko; Yamamoto, Kouji; Takahashi, Hideki; Li, Shuguang; Sugimachi, Toshiyuki; Nakano, Kimihiko; Suda, Yoshihiro; Kato, Toshinori · 2015 · DOAJ

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0127594

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Summary

This study investigates whether brain activity differs when drivers navigate left versus right curves, addressing a gap in understanding how horizontal road alignment affects neural processing. While previous research established that attention mechanisms for left and right spaces differ hemispherically, no prior studies had directly compared brain activity during left and right curve driving using realistic driving postures. The authors hypothesized that left curve driving would elicit distinct neural responses compared to right curve driving, potentially due to differences in visual attention or motor control. To test this, fifteen healthy adults participated in an experiment using a large-scale, three-screen driving simulator that replicated actual driving conditions, including seat position, steering, and platform motion. Participants drove a simulated expressway course at a constant speed of 100 km/h, which included five sets of gentle left and right curves. Brain activity was monitored using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) across 48 channels covering the prefrontal, premotor, primary motor, and parietal cortices. The study employed a vector-based analysis method to calculate changes in cerebral oxygen exchange (ΔCOE), a precise indicator of neural activity, rather than relying solely on oxyhemoglobin changes. Participants also completed a non-driving condition where they watched recorded footage of the course to isolate visual processing from motor operation. The results revealed significant asymmetries in brain activity. Under driving conditions, cerebral oxygen exchange increased significantly more during left curves than right curves in the right premotor cortex, the right frontal eye field, and the bilateral prefrontal cortex. No brain regions showed significantly greater activity during right curves compared to left curves. In the non-driving condition, increased activity was observed only in the right frontal eye field during left curves. These findings indicate that left curve driving demands greater neural resources across multiple cortical sites compared to right curve driving. The authors conclude that left curve driving requires more visual attention and cognitive processing than right curve driving. The consistent activation of the right frontal eye field in both driving and non-driving conditions suggests this area is specifically involved in the visual attention required for leftward spatial processing. This study provides evidence that road alignment influences driver brain activity, with implications for understanding the neural basis of driving tasks and potentially informing road safety measures or driver monitoring systems.

Key finding

Driving on left curves elicited significantly greater cerebral oxygen exchange in the right premotor cortex, right frontal eye field, and bilateral prefrontal cortex compared to driving on right curves.

Methodology

simulator

Sample size: 15

Provenance

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Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.

Topics

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• attention allocation