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Gender Differences in Prefrontal Cortex Response to Negative Emotional Stimuli in Drivers
Ferran Balada1,2, Anton Aluja1,3, Óscar García1,4
1Lleida Institute for Biomedical Research, Dr. Pifarré Foundation, 25198 Lleida, Spain.
Brain Sciences
|September 28, 2024
Summary
Male drivers with dissociative driving styles show reduced prefrontal brain activity when viewing accident images. This contrasts with female drivers, indicating a link between driving behavior, emotional processing, and road safety.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Road Safety
Background:
- Road safety is a key governmental concern, with driver behavior significantly impacting accident rates.
- Emotional regulation plays a crucial role in driving safety, yet prefrontal cortex activity during emotion processing shows variability.
- Previous functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) studies have yielded inconsistent findings regarding prefrontal cortex responses to emotional stimuli.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate prefrontal cortex (PFC) hemodynamic responses to negative emotional stimuli, specifically traffic accident images.
- To examine how age and gender influence PFC activity in response to traffic-related emotional stimuli.
- To explore the relationship between driving styles and PFC activation during emotional image perception.
Main Methods:
- 118 male and 84 female drivers participated, assessed using the Multidimensional Driving Style Inventory (MDSI).
- Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) monitored prefrontal oxygenation levels.
- Participants viewed both traffic accident and neutral images to compare brain activity.
Main Results:
- Women perceived traffic accident and neutral images as lower in valence compared to men.
- Significant differences in arousal were observed for traffic accident images between genders.
- An inverse correlation was found between dissociative driving style scores and prefrontal oxygenation.
- Male drivers exhibited greater prefrontal oxygenation differences between hemispheres when viewing neutral versus accident images.
Conclusions:
- Maladaptive driving styles, particularly dissociative traits in male drivers, are associated with reduced prefrontal oxygenation when exposed to emotional and neutral images.
- This neurophysiological response pattern was not observed in female drivers.
- No significant age-related differences were found in the observed prefrontal activity patterns.
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