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Updated: Aug 20, 2026
Computer-based Multitaper Spectrogram Program for Electroencephalographic Data
Published on: November 13, 2019
Reproducibility of the spectral components of the electroencephalogram during driver fatigue
1University of Technology, Health Science, Floor 14, Broadway, 2007, Sydney, NSW, Australia. sara.lal@uts.edu.au
Objective:
To date, no study has tested the reproducibility of EEG changes that occur during driver fatigue. For the EEG changes to be useful in the development of a fatigue countermeasure device the EEG response during each onset period of fatigue in individuals needs to be reproducible. It should be noted that fatigue during driving is not a continuous process but consists of successive episodes of 'microsleeps' where the subject may go in and out of a fatigue state. The aim of the present study was to investigate the reproducibility of fatigue during driving in both professional and non-professional drivers.
Methods:
Thirty five non-professional drivers and twenty professional drivers were tested during two separate sessions of a driver simulator task. EEG, EOG and behavioural measurements of fatigue were obtained during the driving task.
Results:
The results showed high reproducibility for the delta and theta bands (r>0.95) in both groups of drivers.
Conclusions:
The results are discussed in light of implications for future studies and for the development of an EEG based fatigue countermeasure device.
