ArticleScientific reports2022
Investigating mental workload-induced changes in cortical oxygenation and frontal theta activity during simulated flights.
Article in Scientific reports, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers.
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Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed.
- Learning Potential as a Dynamic Component of Academic Intelligence: An fNIRS-Based Dynamic Assessment Study of English Reading Comprehension.Journal of Intelligence · 2026Article
- Environmental pressure and sensory uncertainty modulate free-throw performance: psychological, neurophysiological, and kinematic evidence.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Mapping the Digital Mind: A Meta-Analysis of EEG Biomarkers in Cognition, Emotion, and Mental Health.Brain sciences · 2026Review
- I think, therefore I hit: EEG parameters predict performance in complex cognitive tasks.Frontiers in neuroergonomics · 2026Article
- Examining physiological parameters of mental workload in the cockpit: a multimethod approach.Frontiers in physiology · 2026Article
- To assure aviation safety: the pilot fatigue detection based on short-term multimodal physiological signals.Frontiers in human neuroscience · 2026Article
- ACXNet hybrid deep learning model for cross task mental workload estimation using EEG neural manifolds.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Exploring the n-back task: insights, applications, and future directions.Frontiers in human neuroscience · 2025Review
- fNIRS, EEG, ECG, and GSR reveal an effect of complex, dynamically changing environments on cognitive load, affective state, and performance, but not physiological stress.Frontiers in human neuroscience · 2025Article
- Effects of the Interaction Between Time-on-Task and Task Load on Response Lapses.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Effects of Personalized Cognitive Training Using Mental Workload Monitoring on Executive Function in Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment.Brain & NeuroRehabilitation · 2023Article
- The Use of Quantitative Electroencephalography (QEEG) to Assess Post-COVID-19 Concentration Disorders in Professional Pilots: An Initial Concept.Brain sciences · 2023Article
- Assessing the development of mental fatigue during simulated flights with concurrent EEG-fNIRS measurement.Scientific reports · 2023Article
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2 authors.
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Abstract
Monitoring pilots' cognitive states becomes increasingly important in aviation. Physiological measurement can detect increased mental workload (MWL) even before performance declines. Yet, changes in MWL are rarely varied systematically and few studies control for confounding effects of other cognitive states. The present study targets these shortcomings by analysing the effects of stepwise increased MWL on cortical activation, while controlling for mental fatigue (MF). 35 participants conducted a simulated flight with an incorporated adapted n-back and monitoring task. We recorded cortical activation with concurrent EEG and fNIRS measurement, performance, self-reported MWL and MF. Our results show the successful manipulation of MWL without confounding effects of MF. Higher task difficulty elicited higher subjective MWL ratings, performance decline, higher frontal theta activity and reduced frontal deoxyhaemoglobin (Hbr) concentration. Using both EEG and fNIRS, we could discriminate all induced MWL levels. fNIRS was more sensitive to tasks with low difficulty, and EEG to tasks with high difficulty. Our findings further suggest a plateau effect for high MWL that could present an upper boundary to individual cognitive capacity. Our results highlight the benefits of physiological measurement in aviation, both for assessment of cognitive states and as a data source for adaptive assistance systems.
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