Neuroimaging Examination of Driving Mode Switching Corresponding to Changes in the Driving Environment

Abstract

Car driving is supported by perceptual, cognitive, and motor skills trained through continuous daily practice. One of the skills that characterize experienced drivers is to detect changes in the driving environment and then flexibly switch their driving modes in response to the changes. Previous functional neuroimaging studies on motor control investigated the mechanisms underlying behaviors adaptive to changes in control properties or parameters of experimental devices such as a computer mouse or a joystick. The switching of multiple internal models mainly engages adaptive behaviors and underlies the interplay between the cerebellum and frontoparietal network (FPN) regions as the neural process. However, it remains unclear whether the neural mechanisms identified in previous motor control studies also underlie practical driving behaviors. In the current study, we measure functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) activities while participants control a realistic driving simulator inside the MRI scanner. Here, the accelerator sensitivity of a virtual car is abruptly changed, requiring participants to respond to this change flexibly to maintain stable driving. We first compare brain activities before and after the sensitivity change. As a result, sensorimotor areas, including the left cerebellum, increase their activities after the sensitivity change. Moreover, after the change, activity significantly increases in the inferior parietal lobe (IPL) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), parts of the FPN regions. By contrast, the posterior cingulate cortex, a part of the default mode network, deactivates after the sensitivity change. Our results suggest that the neural bases found in previous experimental studies can serve as the foundation of adaptive driving behaviors. At the same time, this study also highlights the unique contribution of non-motor regions to addressing the high cognitive demands of driving.

Uniformly positive or negative correlation of cerebral gray matter regions with driving safety behaviors of healthy older drivers

“…In this study, volumetric data obtained by MRI were used for analyses. Recently, an fMRI study showed that sensorimotor areas increase their activities after changing the direction of a virtual car on a monitor on the bed of an MRI scanner 35 . If fMRI data can be additionally utilized, it will be possible to reproducibly identify brain regions involved in DSBs from both structural and functional data of the brain although MRI cannot measure in real-time on roads.…”

Uniformly Positive or Negative Correlation of Cerebral Gray Matter Regions with Driving Safety Behaviors of Healthy Older Drivers

“…In this study, volumetric data obtained by MRI were used for analyses. Recently, an fMRI study showed that sensorimotor areas increase their activities after changing the direction of a virtual car on a monitor on the bed of an MRI scanner [30].…”

The Effects of Cognitive Training on Driving Performance

“…For instance, strategic tasks activate planning-related regions, tactical tasks engaged visual processing areas, and operational tasks rely on areas crucial for sensorimotor control. Furthermore, intricate neural pathways that connect cortical areas with the thalamus, basal ganglia, and cerebellum integrate the sensory, cognitive, and motor facets of driving (Bostan & Strick, 2010;Freedman & Ibos, 2018;Hintzen et al, 2018;Milardi et al, 2019;Nelson & Kreitzer, 2014;Ohata et al, 2022;Yuan et al, 2016). Such interconnectedness emphasizes the urgent need to address cognitive capabilities for driving safety enhancement.…”