Rheoencephalographic and electroencephalographic measures of cognitive workload: analytical procedures

• Published in: Biological psychology Vol. 40; no. 1; pp. 143 - 159
• Main Authors: Montgomery, Leslie D., Montgomery, Richard W., Guisado, Raul
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Legacy CDMS Elsevier B.V 01.05.1995; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Adult; Analytical procedures; Arousal - physiology; Attention - physiology; Behavioral psychophysiology; Biological and medical sciences; Brain Mapping - instrumentation; Cerebral Cortex - blood supply; Cerebral Cortex - physiology; Cognitive workload; Computer Graphics; EEG; Electroencephalography - instrumentation; Electrophysiology; Energy-density distributions; Evoked Potentials - physiology; Fourier Analysis; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Hemodynamic changes; Hemodynamics - physiology; Humans; Life Sciences (General); Male; Neurons - physiology; Plethysmography, Impedance - instrumentation; Problem Solving - physiology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Psychomotor Performance - physiology; Reaction Time - physiology; REG; Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; Space life sciences; Hemodynamic changes; Cognitive workload; REG; EEG; Analytical procedures; Energy-density distributions; Human; Regional blood flow; Evaluation; Central nervous system; Electrophysiology; Cognition; Electroencephalography; Mental load; Mental activity; Cerebral hemisphere; Analytical method; Rheoencephalography; Hemodynamics; Measurement method; Brain (vertebrata)
• ISSN: 0301-0511; 1873-6246
• DOI: 10.1016/0301-0511(95)05117-1

This investigation demonstrates the feasibility of mental workload assessment by rheoencephalographic (REG) and multichannel electroencephalographic (EEG) monitoring. During the performance of this research, unique testing, analytical and display procedures were developed for REG and EEG monitoring that extend the current state of the art and provide valuable tools for the study of cerebral circulatory and neural activity during cognition. REG records are analyzed to provide indices of the right and left hemisphere hemodynamic changes that take place during each test sequence. The EEG data are modeled using regression techniques and mathematically transformed to provide energy-density distributions of the scalp electrostatic field. These procedures permit concurrent REG/EEG cognitive testing not possible with current techniques. The introduction of a system for recording and analysis of cognitive REG/EEG test sequences facilitates the study of learning and memory disorders, dementia and other encephalopathies.