Development of an automobile driving training simulator for patients with mild hemispatial neglect linked to eye movement measurements.

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K17771
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 59010:Rehabilitation science-related
• Research Institution: Yamagata Prefectural University of Health Science (2022-2023); Niigata University of Health and Welfare (2018-2021)
• Principal Investigator: Sotokawa Tasuku 山形県立保健医療大学, 保健医療学部, 教授 (10707376)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 自動車 / 半側空間無視 / 脳卒中 / ドライビングシミュレータ / 運転 / 注意機能 / 実車評価 / 眼球運動

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In the evaluation of automobile driving in patients with suspected hemispatial neglect, it is difficult to detect problems in the usual desk tests. In addition, discrepancies between the results of desk tests and those of driving simulators or actual driving evaluations are often observed.
In the present study, we planned to measure eye movements while conducting evaluation with a driving simulator on patients with right hemisphere injury, but due to limitations of equipment and subjects, measurement was difficult. Therefore, as a second study, we measured the eye movement behavior of patients with right hemisphere injury while driving a real car. The results showed that there were differences in eye movement behavior before and after feedback was given between the group that was able to resume driving and the group that was unable to drive.

Free Research Field

リハビリテーション科学・福祉工学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

実車運転において、右半球損傷患者の視線挙動のフィードバック前後の変化は、運転再開可否で違いがあることが示されたことから、運転不可群には過剰に特定の方向に注意を向けすぎるといった特異的な視線探索戦略がある可能性が示唆された。
このことは、右半球損傷患者の自動車運転再開に向けた教育の視点として活用できる可能性がある。