Exploring the neurophysiological underpinnings of cognitive readiness with the trail making test B

Poster Session B - Sunday, April 14, 2024, 8:00 – 10:00 am EDT, Sheraton Hall ABC

Jared Boasen^1,2 (jared.boasen@hec.ca), Baptiste d'Hau¹, Pierre-Majorique Léger¹, Sylvain Sénécal¹; ¹Tech3Lab, HEC Montreal, ²Faculty of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University

Non-invasively measuring cognitive readiness may be valuable in occupational applications where failure could have serious repercussions. Cognitive neuroscientists have investigated whether measures of cognitive engagement or inter-areal coherence can serve as indices of cognitive readiness. However, the efficaciousness of such measures and whether they outperform other forms of cognitive assessment remains unclear. We had 34 healthy adults take the trail maker test (TMT) B, undergo an hourlong safety training followed by a quiz, while their brain activity was recorded via 32ch wireless EEG. We explored the validity of TMT B performance, prefrontal engagement, and prefrontal-occipital envelope coherence in theta, alpha, and beta bands to predict quiz performance. Linear regression of TMT B time and prefrontal-occipital coherence during training was most significantly predictive of quiz performance (R = .553, F(4,29) = 4.801, p = .004). However, TMT B times were the primary driver of this result (β = -.593, p < .001). Theta and beta coherence predictors trended in the same direction, but not significantly so (β = -.250 and -.232, respectively). A model using prefrontal engagement with TMT B times performed similarly, with engagement making an insignificant contribution. Interestingly, a model based on TMT B times and TMT B prefrontal-occipital coherence performed the worst. The neurophysiological indices targeted were vastly outperformed by the TMT B at predicting quiz performance. This points to the utility of the TMT B not only as a cognitive readiness metric, but also as a relevant task for further investigation of neurophysiological activity underlying cognitive readiness.

Topic Area: EXECUTIVE PROCESSES: Other