Coupling neuroscience and driving simulation: A systematic review of studies on crash-risk behaviors in young drivers

Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death for adolescents and young adults. The aim of this study is to examine and discuss the state-of-the-art literature which uses neuroscience methods in the context of driving simulation to study adolescent and young adult drivers. We conducted a systematic English-language literature search of Ovid MEDLINE (1946–2020), PsycINFO (1967–2020), PubMed, Web of Science, SCOPUS, and CINAHL using keywords and MeSH terms. Studies were excluded if participants were not within the ages of 15–25, if the driving simulator did not include a visual monitor/computer monitor/projection screen and steering wheel and foot pedals, or brain data (specifically EEG [electroencephalogram], fNIRS [functional near-infrared spectroscopy], or fMRI [functional magnetic resonance imaging]) was not collected at the same time as driving simulation data. Seventy-six full text articles of the 736 studies that met inclusion criteria were included in the final review. The 76 articles used one of the following neuroscience methods: electrophysiology, functional near-infrared spectroscopy, or functional magnetic resonance imaging. In the identified studies, there were primarily two areas of investigation pursued; driving impairment and distraction in driving. Impairment studies primarily explored the areas of drowsy/fatigued driving or alcohol-impaired driving. Studies of distracted driving primarily focused on cognitive load and auditory and visual distractors. Our state of the science systematic review highlights the feasibility for coupling neuroscience with driving simulation to study the neurocorrelates of driving behaviors in the context of young drivers and neuromaturation. Findings show that, to date, most research has focused on examining brain correlates and driving behaviors related to contributing factors for fatal motor vehicle crashes. However, there remains a considerable paucity of research designed to understand underlying brain mechanisms that might otherwise facilitate greater understanding of individual variability of normative and risky driving behavior within the young driving population.机动车碰撞事故是青少年与年轻成年人的首要致死原因之一。本研究旨在梳理并探讨以驾驶模拟为研究场景，运用神经科学方法针对青少年及年轻成年驾驶员开展的前沿学术文献。 本研究通过关键词与医学主题词（MeSH terms），对Ovid MEDLINE（1946–2020）、PsycINFO（1967–2020）、PubMed、Web of Science、SCOPUS及CINAHL进行了系统性英文文献检索。 研究排除标准如下：研究对象年龄不在15–25岁区间；驾驶模拟器未配备视觉显示器/电脑显示器/投影幕布、方向盘及脚踏板；未同步采集脑电数据（具体包括脑电图（EEG，electroencephalogram）、功能性近红外光谱（fNIRS，functional near-infrared spectroscopy）或功能性磁共振成像（fMRI，functional magnetic resonance imaging））与驾驶模拟数据。 最终从符合纳入标准的736项研究中筛选出76篇全文文献纳入本次综述。纳入研究采用的神经科学方法包括电生理技术、功能性近红外光谱技术或功能性磁共振成像技术。 已纳入的研究主要围绕两大方向展开：驾驶能力受损与驾驶分心行为。其中，驾驶能力受损相关研究主要探讨了疲劳驾驶或酒后驾驶场景；驾驶分心相关研究主要聚焦于认知负荷、听觉及视觉干扰因素。 本系统综述证实，将神经科学方法与驾驶模拟相结合，用于研究年轻驾驶员驾驶行为的神经关联及神经成熟过程具备可行性。现有研究结果显示，截至目前，绝大多数研究均围绕致命机动车碰撞事故的相关风险因素，探讨其对应的脑活动关联与驾驶行为表现。然而，目前仍缺乏针对年轻驾驶员群体中规范驾驶行为与风险驾驶行为的个体差异背后的潜在脑机制的相关研究，这限制了我们对该群体驾驶行为差异的深入理解。