Mental strain while driving on a driving-simulator: Potential effect on central and autonomic responses

International audienceWe recorded magnetoencephalographic (MEG), autonomic nervous system (ANS) activities and behavioral data during normal driving conditions (ND) and during driving under time constraint (TCD) while drivers had to respect traffic lights in a simulated driving task. Electrodermal activity and heart rate were the dependent variables from the ANS. Cerebral regions of interest, reaction time (RT) and rate of traffic light violations were those from MEG and behavior, respectively. Under TCD conditions, scenarios were likely to elicit high strain. In these conditions, response selection was more complex when drivers should respect traffic law, thus eliciting longer RT with increased activation in the left dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex. Heart rate decrease preceding light change perception was larger under TCD suggesting that drivers focused their attention toward potential light changes before decision-making (i.e. respecting the traffic law or the requested scenario). We finally observed a negative correlation between ANS and left-brain activities. Consequences upon safety are then discussed