A research group from Kochi University of Technology, Hirosaki University, and Iwate Medical University found that in healthy people with ADHD (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder)-like behavior, the smaller the volume of the precuneus in the parietal lobe, the more likely they are to be involved in traffic accidents. It has become clear that it is easy to cause
ADHD is one of the most frequently diagnosed developmental disorders, and adults with ADHD are known to be more likely to cause traffic accidents. To reduce accidents, it is necessary to minimize driver errors, but the brain involved in inappropriate information processing (recognizing danger, making judgments, predicting danger, instantaneous accelerator and brake operations) is the cause of errors. The detailed neural mechanism has not yet been elucidated, and there were technical challenges in measuring brain activity while driving.
The research aims to elucidate the complex relationship between brain volume of cerebral gray matter and safe driving behavior, and combines the brain checkup data of 2,548 people with the characteristics of ADHD (even healthy people have some ADHD tendencies) and history of intersection accidents. The relationship between the two was analyzed (path analysis). The results demonstrated that the precuneus, which is associated with the integration of visual-spatial cognition and perceptual information from the surrounding environment, is an important brain region involved in traffic accidents.
In this research, the experimental results reported by a research team at Honda Motor Co., Ltd. using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) were combined with large-scale brain structural data obtained through a brain checkup by visiting professor Park Kee-chang of Kochi University of Technology. This will be supported and reported.
In the future, for example, if we can conduct a questionnaire survey on ADHD when renewing a driver's license and identify individuals who are at high risk of causing a traffic accident, it may be possible to strengthen safe driving guidance. In addition, the introduction of a simple MRI test, which can be performed even during brain checkups, is expected to prevent traffic accidents and improve traffic safety.
