Surrounding Traffic Matters: Increases in Traffic Volume Are Related to Changes in EEG Rhythms in Urban Cyclists.

Abstract

In this study, we used an oddball EEG bicycle paradigm to study how changes in urban environments elicit changes in EEG markers. Participants completed an auditory oddball task while riding in three different cycling lane environments. A low traffic condition where participants rode in a fully separated bike lane alongside a quiet residential street, an intermediate traffic condition where participants rode alongside a busy residential street in a painted lane, and a heavy traffic condition where participants rode alongside fast/heavy traffic on a shared-use path. Relative to the low traffic, heavy traffic was associated with faster reaction time and a trend towards reduced accuracy, and increased N1 amplitude evoked by the standard tones. We attribute this difference in N1 amplitude to different attentional demands evoked by the different traffic conditions. In this fashion, heavy traffic requires greater auditory filtering. Furthermore, we found no differences in P3 amplitude associated with the traffic conditions. We discuss the implications of mobile paradigms to study attention in real-world settings.