Cortical processing during smartphone text messaging.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Electroencephalography (EEG)

Background:

• The increasing use of personal electronic devices (PEDs) necessitates understanding their impact on brain activity.
• Previous research has not specifically characterized the neurophysiological correlates of smartphone text messaging.
• Identifying unique brain patterns associated with technology use can inform future research and development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and characterize the electroencephalogram (EEG) features associated with smartphone text messaging.
• To determine if a distinct neural rhythm, termed texting rhythm (TR), is specific to text messaging.
• To compare the TR with brain activity during other tasks, including those in patients with and without epilepsy.

Main Methods:

• Prospective evaluation of 129 patients undergoing video-EEG monitoring (VEM) over 16 months.
• Comparison of a reproducible texting rhythm (TR) during active smartphone use with other activities.
• Statistical analysis (p<0.05) to determine the specificity and significance of the TR.

Main Results:

• A reproducible texting rhythm (TR) was identified in 20.9% of patients, specific to smartphone text messaging (p<0.0001).
• The TR was absent during passive phone use, manual tasks, cognitive tests, and speech tasks (p<0.0001).
• TR prevalence was similar in patients with epileptic seizures (28%) and nonepileptic seizures (16%), with no significant differences.

Conclusions:

• The texting rhythm (TR) on scalp EEG represents a novel, technology-specific neurophysiological alteration.
• This suggests that cortical processing in the contemporary brain is uniquely activated by the use of personal electronic devices (PEDs).
• Findings have implications for understanding nonverbal communication and technology interaction.