Quantitative study of alertness during continuous wakefulness under the effect of nervous activity

Abstract

To examine changes of pilot’s alertness during lengthy periods of continuous wakefulness, we used a Nervous System Assessment Tool to assess fluctuations in subjects’ reaction times under the effect of different nervous states: nervous excitation, nervous inhibition, and nervous stability. And we followed used Polynomial Fit to quantitatively assess the reaction time. Results showed that the responses of the three neurological states are significantly affected by circadian and homeostatic drives. Under the effect of nervous inhibition, reaction time enters the state of fatigue earlier and shows a longer period of decline; under the effect of nervous stability, reaction time enters the state of fatigue later, and the period of decline in alertness is shorter. The experimental results are meaningful for the rostering of pilots.