Translating cognitive neuroscience to the driver’s operational environment: A neuroergonomic approach

Abstract

Neuroergonomics provides a multidisciplinary translational approach that merges elements of neuroscience, human factors, cognitive psychology, and ergonomics to study brain structure and function in everyday environments. Driving safety, particularly that of older drivers with cognitive impairments, is a fruitful application domain for neuroergonomics. Driving makes demands on multiple cognitive processes that are often studied in isolation and so presents a useful challenge in generalizing findings from controlled laboratory tasks to predict safety outcomes. Neurology and the cognitive sciences help explain the mechanisms of cognitive breakdowns that undermine driving safety. Ergonomics complements this explanation with the tools for systematically exploring the various layers of complexity that define the activity of driving. A variety of tools, such as part task simulators, driving simulators, and instrumented vehicles, provide a window into cognition in the natural settings needed to assess the generalizability of laboratory findings and can provide an array of potential interventions to increase driving safety. Overview of neuroergonomics with respect to drivingNeuroergonomics is the study of brain and behavior at work (Parasuraman, 2003;Parasuraman & Rizzo, 2007). This multidisciplinary field merges the principles and practice of neuroscience and ergonomics to study brain structure and function in everyday environments. Whereas neuroscience and cognitive psychology have tended to focus on the neural structures and mental processes underlying cognition in controlled laboratory settings, ergonomics is more concerned with naturalistic behaviors. In each case, valuable information about how humans think and act in relation to the environment has been obtained. However, because cognition and behavior are often situational in context, laboratory findings-particularly with regard to decision making and related executive functions-may fail to predict behavior in complex and dynamic tasks that people confront in their daily lives. Thus, cognition must be considered in relation to actions and artifacts in the environment. Humans and computers make up joint cognitive systems that function in real-world settings. Consequently, neuro-

Is car use related with successful aging of older adults? Results from the multinational Mediterranean islands study

“…As a part of that, it has been reported in the literature that, neuro-ergonomics decline is highly related with the ageing process. Specifically advanced age is associated with lower visual acuity, reduction in visual field of view, contrast sensitivity, less divided attention capacity in different environments, lower brain activity, etc [6]. Also aging is accompanied with increased co-morbidities diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cognitive impairments, Alzheimer's disease, etc that could affect driving activity in the older age [6].…”

“…Specifically advanced age is associated with lower visual acuity, reduction in visual field of view, contrast sensitivity, less divided attention capacity in different environments, lower brain activity, etc [6]. Also aging is accompanied with increased co-morbidities diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cognitive impairments, Alzheimer's disease, etc that could affect driving activity in the older age [6]. In addition to the aforementioned, well documented studies in older individuals have been reported that car driving/use, as an activity, is related with better mental health and cognitive performance as well as with higher functional status [5].…”

“…Islands like Cyprus republic, Crete, Mallorca, Menorca, etc are having a much more advanced public transportation system in comparison with other insular areas of the MEDIS study (i.e., Kassos, Lemnos, Thasos etc). In relation to the aforementioned, driving is a complex activity that is related with mental and cognitive health (in older adults the neuro-ergonomy of the individuals is declining along with visual and hearing abilities and the coexistence of co-morbidities [6]), social interaction as well as with engagement in social activities which are basic components of the successful ageing concept [7]. However until now, the interrelated pathway of car use and driving activity in the level of successful ageing has never been explored in the past for Mediterranean/European populations.…”

Real-life driving outcomes in Parkinson disease

“…We expect that "naturalistic" studies of driver behavior (a person driving his or her own instrumented vehicle for a long period of time under usual driving circumstances) would enable richer sampling of driver performance (errors, near-crashes, crashes) [35][36][37] and help in developing cutoffs for predictive tests and definitive models for driving outcomes in PD. 38 There are no evidence-based practice parameters for driving in PD to date. However, recent National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 39 and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration 40 guidelines suggest a case-by-case, multidisciplinary evaluation of the patient due to the highly individualized nature of the disease and variable progression.…”

A Neuroergonomics Approach to Mental Workload, Engagement and Human Performance

“…Neuroergonomics is a multidisciplinary field born from these technical innovations that is broadly defined as the study of the human brain in relation to performance at work and in everyday settings (Parasuraman and Rizzo, 2008). The goal of this field is to integrate both theories and principles from ergonomics, neuroscience and human factors in order to provide insights into the relationship between brain function and behavioral outcomes in the context of work and everyday life (Rizzo et al, 2007;Parasuraman and Rizzo, 2008;Parasuraman and Wilson, 2008;Lees et al, 2010;Ayaz and Dehais, 2018).…”