title: Functional split brain in a driving/listening paradigm.
abstract: We often engage in two concurrent but unrelated activities, such as driving on a quiet road while listening to the radio. When we do so, does our brain split into functionally distinct entities? To address this question, we imaged brain activity with fMRI in experienced drivers engaged in a driving simulator while listening either to global positioning system instructions (integrated task) or to a radio show (split task). We found that, compared with the integrated task, the split task was characterized by reduced multivariate functional connectivity between the driving and listening networks. Furthermore, the integrated information content of the two networks, predicting their joint dynamics above and beyond their independent dynamics, was high in the integrated task and zero in the split task. Finally, individual subjects' ability to switch between high and low information integration predicted their driving performance across integrated and split tasks. This study raises the possibility that under certain conditions of daily life, a single brain may support two independent functional streams, a "functional split brain" similar to what is observed in patients with an anatomical split.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53719.
authors.forename: Shuntaro
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-9941-6510
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sasai
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53719.|Department of Neurology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53719.
authors.forename: Melanie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boly
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53719.
authors.forename: Armand
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mensen
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53719; gtononi@wisc.edu.
authors.forename: Giulio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tononi
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000328:Adult; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000523:psychology*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D059907:Functional Neuroimaging; D040362:Geographic Information Systems; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008959:Models, Neurological; D008960:Models, Psychological; D000073456:Multitasking Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000502:physiology; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: consciousness; dual task; fMRI; information integration; split brain