Abstract
To measure brain activity directly during the execution of driving operations, an experimental vehicle was fitted with a functional near infrared spectroscopy system and measurements were made of the blood flow changes in the prefrontal cortex. Evaluations of the relation between blood flow changes and driver workload were also made. Driver workload was defined as the task of driving on narrow roads with different levels. These levels of difficulty corresponded to subjective workload using the NASA-TLX. The results revealed that the levels of driving task difficulty significantly effect the change in oxygenation concentration. In addition, the oxygenation concentration in the right lateral portion was found to be significantly higher compared with that of other portions. The results suggest the possibility that brain activity in the right lateral portion of the prefrontal cortex is related to driving on narrow roads.
