Different activation dynamics in multiple neural systems during simulated driving

• Published in: Human brain mapping Vol. 16; no. 3; pp. 158 - 167
• Main Authors: Calhoun, Vince D., Pekar, James J., McGinty, Vince B., Adali, Tulay, Watson, Todd D., Pearlson, Godfrey D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 01.07.2002; Wiley-Liss
• Subjects: Adult; Attention - physiology; Automobile Driving - psychology; Biological and medical sciences; brain; Brain - anatomy & histology; Brain - physiology; Brain Mapping; Cognition - physiology; driving; Eye Movements - physiology; Female; fMRI; Functional Laterality - physiology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; independent component analysis; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Miscellaneous; Motion Perception - physiology; Motor Skills - physiology; Movement - physiology; Nerve Net - anatomy & histology; Nerve Net - physiology; Nonlinear Dynamics; Orientation - physiology; Original; Perception; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Space Perception - physiology; Cerebellum; Vigilance; Cingulate cortex; Vehicle driving; Imaging; Central nervous system; Medical imagery; Cognition; Behavior; Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging; Monitoring; Brain (vertebrata)
• ISSN: 1065-9471; 1097-0193
• DOI: 10.1002/hbm.10032

Driving is a complex behavior that recruits multiple cognitive elements. We report on an imaging study of simulated driving that reveals multiple neural systems, each of which have different activation dynamics. The neural correlates of driving behavior are identified with fMRI and their modulation with speed is investigated. We decompose the activation into interpretable pieces using a novel, generally applicable approach, based upon independent component analysis. Some regions turn on or off, others exhibit a gradual decay, and yet others turn on transiently when starting or stopping driving. Signal in the anterior cingulate cortex, an area often associated with error monitoring and inhibition, decreases exponentially with a rate proportional to driving speed, whereas decreases in frontoparietal regions, implicated in vigilance, correlate with speed. Increases in cerebellar and occipital areas, presumably related to complex visuomotor integration, are activated during driving but not associated with driving speed. Hum. Brain Mapping 16:158–167, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.