title: Higher landing accuracy in expert pilots is associated with lower activity in the caudate nucleus.
abstract: The most common lethal accidents in General Aviation are caused by improperly executed landing approaches in which a pilot descends below the minimum safe altitude without proper visual references. To understand how expertise might reduce such erroneous decision-making, we examined relevant neural processes in pilots performing a simulated landing approach inside a functional MRI scanner. Pilots (aged 20-66) were asked to "fly" a series of simulated "cockpit view" instrument landing scenarios in an MRI scanner. The scenarios were either high risk (heavy fog-legally unsafe to land) or low risk (medium fog-legally safe to land). Pilots with one of two levels of expertise participated: Moderate Expertise (Instrument Flight Rules pilots, n = 8) or High Expertise (Certified Instrument Flight Instructors or Air-Transport Pilots, n = 12). High Expertise pilots were more accurate than Moderate Expertise pilots in making a "land" versus "do not land" decision (CFII: d' = 3.62 ± 2.52; IFR: d' = 0.98 ± 1.04; p<.01). Brain activity in bilateral caudate nucleus was examined for main effects of expertise during a "land" versus "do not land" decision with the no-decision control condition modeled as baseline. In making landing decisions, High Expertise pilots showed lower activation in the bilateral caudate nucleus (0.97 ± 0.80) compared to Moderate Expertise pilots (1.91 ± 1.16) (p<.05). These findings provide evidence for increased "neural efficiency" in High Expertise pilots relative to Moderate Expertise pilots. During an instrument approach the pilot is engaged in detailed examination of flight instruments while monitoring certain visual references for making landing decisions. The caudate nucleus regulates saccade eye control of gaze, the brain area where the "expertise" effect was observed. These data provide evidence that performing "real world" aviation tasks in an fMRI provide objective data regarding the relative expertise of pilots and brain regions involved in it.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterans Affairs, WRIISC and Sierra-Pacific MIRECC, Palo Alto, California, 94304, United States of America; Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, California, 94305, United States of America.
authors.forename: Maheen M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Adamson
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterans Affairs, WRIISC and Sierra-Pacific MIRECC, Palo Alto, California, 94304, United States of America; Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, California, 94305, United States of America.
authors.forename: Joy L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, California, 94305, United States of America.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Heraldez
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, California, 94305, United States of America.
authors.forename: Allen
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khorasani
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, California, 94305, United States of America.
authors.forename: Art
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Noda
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, California, 94305, United States of America.
authors.forename: Beatriz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hernandez
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterans Affairs, WRIISC and Sierra-Pacific MIRECC, Palo Alto, California, 94304, United States of America; Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, California, 94305, United States of America.
authors.forename: Jerome A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Yesavage
mesh_terms: D000060:Accidents, Aviation / Q000517:prevention & control; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001359:Aviation; D002421:Caudate Nucleus / Q000502:physiology*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003657:Decision Making / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009790:Occupations; D011361:Professional Competence; D012438:Saccades / Q000502:physiology*; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D000078329:Workforce