scholarly journals Working With Environmental Noise and Noise-Cancelation: A Workload Assessment With EEG and Subjective Measures

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kerstin Pieper ◽  
Robert P. Spang ◽  
Pablo Prietz ◽  
Sebastian Möller ◽  
Erkki Paajanen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Workload ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Noisy Environment ◽  
Subjective Measures ◽  
Mental Load ◽  
Subjective Data ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Electroencephalogram Eeg ◽  
Mental Resources ◽  
Noise Canceling

As working and learning environments become open and flexible, people are also potentially surrounded by ambient noise, which causes an increase in mental workload. The present study uses electroencephalogram (EEG) and subjective measures to investigate if noise-canceling technologies can fade out external distractions and free up mental resources. Therefore, participants had to solve spoken arithmetic tasks that were read out via headphones in three sound environments: a quiet environment (no noise), a noisy environment (noise), and a noisy environment but with active noise-canceling headphones (noise-canceling). Our results of brain activity partially confirm an assumed lower mental load in no noise and noise-canceling compared to noise test condition. The mean P300 activation at Cz resulted in a significant differentiation between the no noise and the other two test conditions. Subjective data indicate an improved situation for the participants when using the noise-canceling technology compared to “normal” headphones but shows no significant discrimination. The present results provide a foundation for further investigations into the relationship between noise-canceling technology and mental workload. Additionally, we give recommendations for an adaptation of the test design for future studies.

scholarly journals The relationship between fasting-induced torpor, sleep and waking in laboratory mice

SLEEP ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi-Ge Huang ◽  
Sarah J Flaherty ◽  
Carina A Pothecary ◽  
Russell G Foster ◽  
Stuart N Peirson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Temperature ◽  
Rem Sleep ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Mammalian Species ◽  
Nrem Sleep ◽  
Laboratory Mice ◽  
State Classification ◽  
Metabolic Suppression ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Electroencephalogram Eeg

Abstract Study objectives Torpor is a regulated and reversible state of metabolic suppression used by many mammalian species to conserve energy. Whereas the relationship between torpor and sleep has been well-studied in seasonal hibernators, less is known about the effects of fasting-induced torpor on states of vigilance and brain activity in laboratory mice. Methods Continuous monitoring of electroencephalogram (EEG), electromyogram (EMG) and surface body temperature was undertaken in adult, male C57BL/6 mice over consecutive days of scheduled restricted feeding. Results All animals showed bouts of hypothermia that became progressively deeper and longer as fasting progressed. EEG and EMG were markedly affected by hypothermia, although the typical electrophysiological signatures of NREM sleep, REM sleep and wakefulness enabled us to perform vigilance-state classification in all cases. Consistent with previous studies, hypothermic bouts were initiated from a state indistinguishable from NREM sleep, with EEG power decreasing gradually in parallel with decreasing surface body temperature. During deep hypothermia, REM sleep was largely abolished, and we observed shivering-associated intense bursts of muscle activity. Conclusions Our study highlights important similarities between EEG signatures of fasting-induced torpor in mice, daily torpor in Djungarian hamsters and hibernation in seasonally-hibernating species. Future studies are necessary to clarify the effects on fasting-induced torpor on subsequent sleep.

Enhancement of Eye Motor Response and Electrical Brain Activity during Noise and Vibration in Rabbits

1982 ◽  
Vol 90 (1) ◽  
pp. 130-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilmari Pyykkö ◽  
Izuru Matsuoka ◽  
Shinsuke Ito ◽  
Manabe Hinoki
Keyword(s):  
Motor Response ◽  
Optokinetic Nystagmus ◽  
Dorsal Hippocampus ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Noise And Vibration ◽  
Implanted Electrodes ◽  
Theta Waves ◽  
Electrical Brain Activity ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Electroencephalogram Eeg

The relationship between electroencephalogram (EEG) and eye movements was studied in rabbits during optokinetic, vestibular, and optovestibular tests. EEG was recorded through permanently implanted electrodes. Exposure to noise and vibration increased the frequency and the velocity of optokinetic nystagmus (OKN). The increase was greater during vibration but greatest during combined noise and vibration. EEG activity was closely linked to changes in OKN and was particularly evident with the appearance of theta waves in the dorsal hippocampus. Also, rotation of the rabbit produced considerable activation in the EEG.

scholarly journals EEG Theta Power Activity Reflects Workload among Army Combat Drivers: An Experimental Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolina Diaz-Piedra ◽  
María Victoria Sebastián ◽  
Leandro L. Di Stasi
Keyword(s):  
Power Spectrum ◽  
Mental Workload ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Subjective Data ◽  
Eeg Activity ◽  
The Road ◽  
Task Load ◽  
Eeg Power Spectrum ◽  
Dynamic Simulator ◽  
Eeg Power

We aimed to evaluate the effects of mental workload variations, as a function of the road environment, on the brain activity of army drivers performing combat and non-combat scenarios in a light multirole vehicle dynamic simulator. Forty-one non-commissioned officers completed three standardized driving exercises with different terrain complexities (low, medium, and high) while we recorded their electroencephalographic (EEG) activity. We focused on variations in the theta EEG power spectrum, a well-known index of mental workload. We also assessed performance and subjective ratings of task load. The theta EEG power spectrum in the frontal, temporal, and occipital areas were higher during the most complex scenarios. Performance (number of engine stops) and subjective data supported these findings. Our findings strengthen previous results found in civilians on the relationship between driver mental workload and the theta EEG power spectrum. This suggests that EEG activity can give relevant insight into mental workload variations in an objective, unbiased fashion, even during real training and/or operations. The continuous monitoring of the warfighter not only allows instantaneous detection of over/underload but also might provide online feedback to the system (either automated equipment or the crew) to take countermeasures and prevent fatal errors.

Psychometric Properties of the 0.1 HZ Component of HRV as an Indicator of Mental Strain

2000 ◽  
Vol 44 (12) ◽  
pp. 2-747-2-750 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Nickel ◽  
Friedhelm Nachreiner
Keyword(s):  
Psychometric Properties ◽  
Mental Workload ◽  
Stress Reactions ◽  
Mental Strain ◽  
Mental Load ◽  
Subjective Data ◽  
General Activation ◽  
Strain Stress ◽  
Emotional Strain ◽  
The Eu

Legal regulations in the EU concerning the evaluation of mental workload require that suitable and practical methods for the assessment of mental workload at the workplace are needed. Currently the 0.1 Hz component of heartrate variability (HRV) is considered an attractive and promising measure of mental strain. However, systematic and comprehensive studies investigating the psychometric properties of this cardiovascular measure are still missing. Therefore this problem has been addressed experimentally: If the 0.1 component of HRV is a valid measure of mental strain it should discriminate between mental load produced by different types of tasks (diagnosticity) and different levels of difficulty (sensitivity). Comparing psychophysiological, performance, and subjective data the results for the psychophysiolgical data cannot be interpreted as support for a sufficient sensitivity and diagnosticity of the 0.1 component of HRV as a measure of mental strain. This cardiovascular indicator does not meet conventional requirements to be used in mental and especially cognitive workload evaluation. However, there is evidence that the 0.1 component of HRV is more likely to indicate emotional strain (stress reactions) or general activation.

MONOTONOUS TASKS AND ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION EFFECTS ON THE BRAIN BY EEG ANALYSIS USING NEURAL NETWORKS

2012 ◽  
Vol 11 (03) ◽  
pp. 1250015 ◽  
Author(s):  
STEPHEN KARUNGARU ◽  
TOSHIHIRO YOSHIDA ◽  
TORU SEO ◽  
MINORU FUKUMI ◽  
KENJI TERADA
Keyword(s):  
Neural Networks ◽  
Mental Stress ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Eeg Signals ◽  
Linear Discriminant ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Electroencephalogram Eeg ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Eeg Signal Analysis

An analysis of the Electroencephalogram (EEG) signals while performing a monotonous task and drinking alcohol using principal component analysis (PCA), linear discriminant analysis (LDA) for feature extraction and Neural Networks (NNs) for classification is proposed. The EEG is captured while performing a monotonous task that can adversely affect the brain and possibly cause stress. Moreover, we investigate the effects of alcohol on the brain by capturing the data continuously after consumption of equal amounts of alcohol. We hope that our work will shed more light on the relationship between such actions and EEG, and investigate if there is any relation between the tasks and mental stress. EEG signals offers a rare look at brain activity, while, monotonous activities are well known to cause irritation which may contribute to mental stress. We apply PCA and LDA to characterize the change in each component, extract it and discriminate using a NN. After experiments, it was found that PCA and LDA are effective analysis methods in EEG signal analysis.

scholarly journals The relationship between fasting-induced torpor, sleep and wakefulness in the laboratory mouse

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi G. Huang ◽  
Sarah J. Flaherty ◽  
Carina A. Pothecary ◽  
Russell G. Foster ◽  
Stuart N. Peirson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Temperature ◽  
Rem Sleep ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Mammalian Species ◽  
Laboratory Mouse ◽  
Nrem Sleep ◽  
Early Ontogeny ◽  
State Classification ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Electroencephalogram Eeg

AbstractTorpor is a regulated reversible state of metabolic suppression used by many mammalian species to conserve energy. Although torpor has been studied extensively in terms of general physiology, metabolism and neuroendocrinology, the effects of hypometabolism and associated hypothermia on brain activity and states of vigilance have received little attention. Here we performed continuous monitoring of electroencephalogram (EEG), electromyogram (EMG) and peripheral body temperature in adult, male C57BL/6 mice over consecutive days of scheduled restricted feeding. All animals showed prominent bouts of hypothermia that became progressively deeper and longer as fasting progressed. EEG and EMG were markedly affected by hypothermia, although the typical electrophysiological signatures of NREM sleep, REM sleep and wakefulness allowed us to perform vigilance-state classification in all cases. Invariably, hypothermia bouts were initiated from a state indistinguishable from NREM sleep, with EEG power decreasing gradually in parallel with decreasing body temperature. Furthermore, during deep hypothermia REM sleep was largely abolished, but we observed brief and intense bursts of muscle activity, which resembled the regular motor discharges seen during early ontogeny associated with immature sleep patterns. We conclude that torpor and sleep are electrophysiologically on a continuum, and that, in order for torpor to occur, mice need to first transition through euthermic sleep.

scholarly journals Differential Effects of Simulated Cortical Network Lesions on Synchrony and EEG Complexity

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (04) ◽  
pp. 1850024 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio José Ibáñez-Molina ◽  
Sergio Iglesias-Parro ◽  
Javier Escudero
Keyword(s):  
Brain Function ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Spatial Location ◽  
Sample Entropy ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Kuramoto Oscillators ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Electroencephalogram Eeg ◽  
The Brain

Brain function has been proposed to arise as a result of the coordinated activity between distributed brain areas. An important issue in the study of brain activity is the characterization of the synchrony among these areas and the resulting complexity of the system. However, the variety of ways to define and, hence, measure brain synchrony and complexity has sometimes led to inconsistent results. Here, we study the relationship between synchrony and commonly used complexity estimators of electroencephalogram (EEG) activity and we explore how simulated lesions in anatomically based cortical networks would affect key functional measures of activity. We explored this question using different types of neural network lesions while the brain dynamics was modeled with a time-delayed set of 66 Kuramoto oscillators. Each oscillator modeled a region of the cortex (node), and the connectivity and spatial location between different areas informed the creation of a network structure (edges). Each type of lesion consisted on successive lesions of nodes or edges during the simulation of the neural dynamics. For each type of lesion, we measured the synchrony among oscillators and three complexity estimators (Higuchi’s Fractal Dimension, Sample Entropy and Lempel-Ziv Complexity) of the simulated EEGs. We found a general negative correlation between EEG complexity metrics and synchrony but Sample Entropy and Lempel-Ziv showed a positive correlation with synchrony when the edges of the network were deleted. This suggests an intricate relationship between synchrony of the system and its estimated complexity. Hence, complexity seems to depend on the multiple states of interaction between the oscillators of the system. Our results can contribute to the interpretation of the functional meaning of EEG complexity.

scholarly journals EEG-Based Intersubject Correlations Reflect Selective Attention in a Competing Speaker Scenario

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Rosenkranz ◽  
Björn Holtze ◽  
Manuela Jaeger ◽  
Stefan Debener
Keyword(s):  
Brain Activity ◽  
Neural Representation ◽  
Sensory Stimuli ◽  
Previous Evidence ◽  
Group Data ◽  
Attentional Engagement ◽  
Speech Envelope ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Electroencephalogram Eeg

Several solutions have been proposed to study the relationship between ongoing brain activity and natural sensory stimuli, such as running speech. Computing the intersubject correlation (ISC) has been proposed as one possible approach. Previous evidence suggests that ISCs between the participants’ electroencephalogram (EEG) may be modulated by attention. The current study addressed this question in a competing-speaker paradigm, where participants (N = 41) had to attend to one of two concurrently presented speech streams. ISCs between participants’ EEG were higher for participants attending to the same story compared to participants attending to different stories. Furthermore, we found that ISCs between individual and group data predicted whether an individual attended to the left or right speech stream. Interestingly, the magnitude of the shared neural response with others attending to the same story was related to the individual neural representation of the attended and ignored speech envelope. Overall, our findings indicate that ISC differences reflect the magnitude of selective attentional engagement to speech.

Pilot study of office employee informational mental workload

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (10) ◽  
pp. 866-870 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. V. Zuev ◽  
M. M. Nekrasova ◽  
T. N. Vasiyleva
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Work Experience ◽  
Mental Workload ◽  
Chronic Fatigue ◽  
Professional Group ◽  
Professional Activity ◽  
Mental Load ◽  
Speed Of Information Processing ◽  
Professional Stress ◽  
Stress Fatigue

Introduction. Development of methodical base of information hygiene, systematization of data on levels of information loadings and degree of their influence on working conditions of workers is actual.The purpose of the study was to measure and evaluate the levels of information mental load of office workers, to study the patterns of development of adverse functional States in this professional group.Materials and methods. The pilot study included 25 employees of scientific and educational institutions aged 25 to 65 years. Measurement of information mental load of workers was carried out on the basis of a point assessment. Psychodiagnostics of performance of participants of research was carried out by means of a package of standard techniques. Heart rate telemetry was carried out in employees in the conditions of professional activity.Results. The integral indicator of information mental load of the studied professional group was 37.3±7.2 points and was in direct connection with the coefficient of comfort of the workplace (r=0.5, p=0.01). A reliable dependence of the speed of information processing on the length of work experience (r=0.71, p=0.0001) was also established. In the low-stress group, high indices of stress, fatigue, monotony were recorded in the workers, in the senior group — signs of chronic fatigue. The employees during the shift registered an increase in sympathetic activation.Conclusions. The results of the psychophysiological survey of employees indicate the need to regulate the information load, the development and implementation of preventive measures to reduce professional stress.

scholarly journals Usefulness of Linear Mixed-Effects Models to Assess the Relationship between Objective and Subjective Internal Load in Team Sports

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 392
Author(s):  
Alice Iannaccone ◽  
Daniele Conte ◽  
Cristina Cortis ◽  
Andrea Fusco
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Perceived Exertion ◽  
Mixed Model ◽  
Linear Mixed Model ◽  
Team Sports ◽  
Rating Of Perceived Exertion ◽  
Subjective Measures ◽  
Internal Load ◽  
Random Slopes ◽  
The Relationship

Internal load can be objectively measured by heart rate-based models, such as Edwards’ summated heart rate zones, or subjectively by session rating of perceived exertion. The relationship between internal loads assessed via heart rate-based models and session rating of perceived exertion is usually studied through simple correlations, although the Linear Mixed Model could represent a more appropriate statistical procedure to deal with intrasubject variability. This study aimed to compare conventional correlations and the Linear Mixed Model to assess the relationships between objective and subjective measures of internal load in team sports. Thirteen male youth beach handball players (15.9 ± 0.3 years) were monitored (14 training sessions; 7 official matches). Correlation coefficients were used to correlate the objective and subjective internal load. The Linear Mixed Model was used to model the relationship between objective and subjective measures of internal load data by considering each player individual response as random effect. Random intercepts were used and then random slopes were added. The likelihood-ratio test was used to compare statistical models. The correlation coefficient for the overall relationship between the objective and subjective internal data was very large (r = 0.74; ρ = 0.78). The Linear Mixed Model using both random slopes and random intercepts better explained (p < 0.001) the relationship between internal load measures. Researchers are encouraged to apply the Linear Mixed Models rather than correlation to analyze internal load relationships in team sports since it allows for the consideration of the individuality of players.

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