Maximizing light efficiency in high-speed confocal line-scanning imagers.

Imaging the living human eye requires high-speed and light-capture efficiency of photons returning from the eye to increase the signal-to-noise ratio while minimizing light exposure. Here, we report the optical design of a high-speed imaging approach applied to a line-scanning laser ophthalmoscope with extremely high optical efficiency. Utilizing the asymmetry involved in scanning a line through a slit pupil and collecting light scattered from a target with the full pupil, we construct an asymmetric scanning system, delivering essentially diffraction-limited performance while projecting almost all light from the source onto the target and collecting 98% of the light returning from the target onto the detector.

The use of adaptation to reduce simulator sickness in driving assessment and research.

The technical advancement of driving simulators has decreased their cost and increased both their accuracy and fidelity. This makes them a useful tool for examining driving behavior in risky or unique situations. With the approaching increase of older licensed drivers due to aging of the baby boomers, driving simulators will be important for conducting driving research and evaluations for older adults.

Development of a 3D immersive videogame to improve arm-postural coordination in patients with TBI.

Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) disrupts the central and executive mechanisms of arm(s) and postural (trunk and legs) coordination. To address these issues, we developed a 3D immersive videogame--Octopus. The game was developed using the basic principles of videogame design and previous experience of using videogames for rehabilitation of patients with acquired brain injuries.

Behavioral and cardiovascular responses to frustration during simulated driving tasks in young adults with and without attention disorder symptoms.

Objective: The present study examined the role of negative emotions on driving performance in relation to ADHD, by comparing young adults scoring high on measures of ADHD (n = 20) with a control group (n = 22).

Method: The authors used cardiorespiratory physiological measures, simulated driving behavior, and self-report to examine how participants with high and low ADHD symptoms responded to frustration and to determine how frustration affected simulated driving performance.

Results: Groups did not differ in operational driving skills, but participants with high ADHD symptoms reported more frustration and exhibited more impairment at the tactical level of driving performance than the controls.

Transfer of computer-based training to simulated driving in older adults.

As the population of many industrialized countries ages, the number of older drivers on the roads increases. Statistics show that older drivers are at increased risk for involvement in fatal accidents. One explanation for this is the cognitive and motor declines associated with the aging process.

Development of attentional and oculomotor control.

The present study was conducted to examine the development of attentional and oculomotor control. More specifically, the authors were interested in the development of the ability to inhibit an incorrect but prepotent response to a salient distractor. Participants, who ranged in age from 8 to 25 years, performed 3 different eye movement tasks: a prosaccade, an antisaccade, and an oculomotor capture task.