EEG activities of dynamic stimulation in VR driving motion simulator

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate Electroencephalography dynamics in response to kinesthetic stimuli during driving. We used a Virtual Reality driving simulator consisted of a hydraulic hexapod motion platform to create practical driving events. We compared the EEG dynamics in response to kinesthetic stimulus while the platform was in motion, to that while the platform was stationary. The scalp-recorded EEG channel signals were first separated into independent brain sources using Independent Component Analysis (ICA), and then studied with time-frequency analysis. Our results showed that independent brain processes near the somatomotor cortex exhibited alpha power decreases across sessions and subjects. Negative potentials phase-locked to the onsets of deviation events under motion conditions were observed in a central midline component. The results allow us to better understand different brain networks involved in driving, and provide a foundation for studying event-related EEG activities in the presence of kinesthetic stimuli.