title: Effects of long and short simulated flights on the saccadic eye movement velocity of aviators.
abstract: Aircrew fatigue is a major contributor to operational errors in civil and military aviation. Objective detection of pilot fatigue is thus critical to prevent aviation catastrophes. Previous work has linked fatigue to changes in oculomotor dynamics, but few studies have studied this relationship in critical safety environments. Here we measured the eye movements of US Marine Corps combat helicopter pilots before and after simulated flight missions of different durations.We found a decrease in saccadic velocities after long simulated flights compared to short simulated flights. These results suggest that saccadic velocity could serve as a biomarker of aviator fatigue.
authors.affiliation: Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, AZ, USA; Mind, Brain, and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), University of Granada, Granada, Spain; Joint Center University of Granada - Spanish Army Training and Doctrine Command, Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: Leandro L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Di Stasi
authors.affiliation: Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, AZ, USA.
authors.forename: Michael B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: McCamy
authors.affiliation: Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, AZ, USA; Department of Ophthalmology, State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Susana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Martinez-Conde
authors.affiliation: Aviation Survival Training Center Miramar, San Diego, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Ellis
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gayles
authors.affiliation: Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Chad
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hoare
authors.affiliation: Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Foster
authors.affiliation: Mind, Brain, and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: Andrés
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Catena
authors.affiliation: Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, AZ, USA; Department of Ophthalmology, State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, USA. Electronic address: macknik@neuralcorrelate.com.
authors.forename: Stephen L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Macknik
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000337:Aerospace Medicine / Q000379:methods*; D001359:Aviation; D003198:Computer Simulation; D058068:Endophenotypes; D005221:Fatigue / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012438:Saccades / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Combat aviation; Fatigue; Flight simulation; Helicopter; Main sequence; Neuroergonomics; Saccades; Time-on-task; Training; USMC