Pupil dilation as indicative of cognitive workload while driving a car: effects of cell phone use and driver experience in young adults

BACKGROUND: Cognitive workload resulting from drivers’ engagement in concomitant tasks while driving, such as talking on a cell phone, affects the availability of attentional resources for the various stages of information processing, which can interfere with the selection of relevant traffic information, leading to poor performance and higher risk of accidents. AIM: The purpose of this study was to test the adaptation and application of the method of fixation-aligned pupillary response averaging to the car driving context, and, if successful, to determine effects of talking on a cell phone while driving, in both handheld and hands-free situations, and effects of driving experience on pupillary responses of young adult drivers, as indicative of cognitive workload. METHOD: Ten novice and ten experienced drivers had pupil diameter measured while driving in a car simulator under velocity of 80-120 km/h, daylight, linear trajectory and low traffic level. Data analysis was based on the method of fixation-aligned pupillary response averaging. RESULTS: Noise curves were around baseline (zero) values while pupil dilation curves clearly stood out from noise magnitude, in all conditions for both groups. Greater pupil dilation peak during talking on the cell phone (handheld and hands-free conditions) while driving occurred only for the novice group. CONCLUSION: Adaptation and application of the method of fixation-aligned pupillary response averaging to the car driving context succeed. Cognitive workload imposed by the dual task of talking on a cell phone increased pupil dilation for novice drivers, which may alter acquisition of visual information and impair driving behavior.

Network oscillations imply the highest cognitive workload and lowest cognitive control during idea generation in open-ended creation tasks

Design is a ubiquitous, complex, and open-ended creation behaviour that triggers creativity. The brain dynamics underlying design is unclear, since a design process consists of many basic cognitive behaviours, such as problem understanding, idea generation, idea analysis, idea evaluation, and idea evolution. In this present study, we simulated the design process in a loosely controlled setting, aiming to quantify the design-related cognitive workload and control, identify EEG-defined large-scale brain networks, and uncover their temporal dynamics. The effectiveness of this loosely controlled setting was tested through comparing the results with validated findings available in the literature. Task-related power (TRP) analysis of delta, theta, alpha and beta frequency bands revealed that idea generation was associated with the highest cognitive workload and lowest cognitive control, compared to other design activities in the experiment, including problem understanding, idea evaluation, and self-rating. EEG microstate analysis supported this finding as microstate class C, being negatively associated with the cognitive control network, was the most prevalent in idea generation. Furthermore, EEG microstate sequence analysis demonstrated that idea generation was consistently associated with the shortest temporal correlation times concerning finite entropy rate, autoinformation function, and Hurst exponent. This finding suggests that during idea generation the interplay of functional brain networks is less restricted and the brain has more degrees of freedom in choosing the next network configuration than during other design activities. Taken together, the TRP and EEG microstate results lead to the conclusion that idea generation is associated with the highest cognitive workload and lowest cognitive control during open-ended creation task.

Cognitive workload, complications and visual outcomes of phacoemulsification cataract surgery: Three-dimensional versus conventional microscope

Purpose To compare the surgical workload, complications, and visual outcomes using the three-dimensional visualization system with the conventional microscope in phacoemulsification cataract surgery. Design Prospective, non-randomized, open-label interventional study. Methods All patients underwent phacoemulsification cataract surgery using the three-dimensional visualization system or conventional microscope. Results Of the 203 eyes, 80 underwent surgery with the three-dimensional system while 123 underwent with the conventional microscope. No difference was noted in the total surgical duration, complication rates, and visual outcomes between the two groups. However, capsulorhexis was significantly faster using the conventional microscope while posterior chamber intraocular lens insertion was quicker using the three-dimensional system. In terms of cognitive workload comparison, no difference was seen in the surgeons’ heart rate, oxygen saturation levels, and surgery task load index total workload score and workload score for all six dimensions of the questionnaire, between the three-dimensional system and conventional microscope groups. As compared to baseline, the heart rate increased significantly during all surgical steps and at the end in both groups. When compared to baseline, the oxygen saturation levels were significantly raised during capsulorhexis, irrigation, and aspiration and posterior chamber intraocular lens insertion and at the end of the surgery in the three-dimensional group and during incision and at the end of the surgery in the conventional microscope group. Conclusions The duration of surgery, complications, and visual acuity outcomes remain unaffected while performing phacoemulsification cataract surgeries with the three-dimensional viewing system when compared to the conventional microscopes. Moreover, the surgeons’ cognitive workload too remains unaffected while utilizing this revolutionary three-dimensional surgical technology.

A Neurotechnological Aid For Semi-Autonomous Suction In Robotic-Assisted Surgery

Adoption of Robotic-Assisted Surgery has steadily increased as it improves the surgeon’s dexterity and visualization. Despite these advantages, the success of a robotic procedure is highly dependent on the availability of a proficient surgical assistant that can collaborate with the surgeon. With the introduction of novel medical devices, the surgeon has taken over some of the surgical assistant’s tasks to increase their independence. This, however, has also resulted in surgeons experiencing higher levels of cognitive demands that can lead to reduced performance. In this work, we proposed a neurotechnology-based semi-autonomous assistant to release the main surgeon of the additional cognitive demands of a critical support task: blood suction. To create a more synergistic collaboration between the surgeon and the robotic assistant, a real-time cognitive workload assessment system based on EEG signals and eye-tracking was introduced. A computational experiment demonstrates that cognitive workload can be effectively detected with an 80% accuracy. Then, we show how the surgical performance can be improved by using the neurotechnological autonomous assistant as a close feedback loop to prevent states of high cognitive demands. Our findings highlight the potential of utilizing real-time cognitive workload assessments to improve the collaboration between an autonomous algorithm and the surgeon.