Citation

Calhoun VD, Pekar JJ, McGinty VB, Adali T, Watson TD, Pearlson GD. Hum. Brain Mapp. 2002; 16(3): 158-167.

Affiliation

Division of Psychiatric Neuro-Imaging, Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA. vcalhoun@jhu.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 2002, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/hbm.10032

PMID

12112769

Abstract

Driving is a complex behavior that recruits multiple cognitive elements. We report on an imaging study of simulated driving that reveals multiple neural systems, each of which have different activation dynamics. The neural correlates of driving behavior are identified with fMRI and their modulation with speed is investigated. We decompose the activation into interpretable pieces using a novel, generally applicable approach, based upon independent component analysis. Some regions turn on or off, others exhibit a gradual decay, and yet others turn on transiently when starting or stopping driving. Signal in the anterior cingulate cortex, an area often associated with error monitoring and inhibition, decreases exponentially with a rate proportional to driving speed, whereas decreases in frontoparietal regions, implicated in vigilance, correlate with speed. Increases in cerebellar and occipital areas, presumably related to complex visuomotor integration, are activated during driving but not associated with driving speed.

Language: en