Isometric Arm Forces Exerted by Females at Different Levels of Physical Comfort and Their EEG Signatures

Abstract

A variety of subjective measures have traditionally been used to assess the perception of physical exertion at work and related body responses. However, the current understanding of physical comfort experienced at work is very limited. The main objective of this study was first to investigate the magnitude of isometric arm forces exerted by females at different levels of physical comfort measured on a new comfort scale and, second, to assess their corresponding neural signatures expressed in terms of power spectral density (PSD). The study assessed PSDs of four major electroencephalography (EEG) frequency bands, focusing on the brain regions controlling motor and perceptual processing. The results showed statistically significant differences in exerted arm forces and the rate of perceived exertion at the various levels of comfort. Significant differences in power spectrum density at different physical comfort levels were found for the beta EEG band. Such knowledge can be useful in incorporating female users’ force requirements in the design of consumer products, including tablets, laptops, and other hand-held information technology devices, as well as various industrial processes and work systems.

The EEG-Based Fusion Entropy-Featured Identification of Isometric Contraction Forces under the Same Action

“…Our investigation contributes to the current understanding of EEG signal analyses in motor control, aligning with and expanding upon findings from previous research. Mahjabeen Rahman's work highlights how physical conditions, specifically isometric contraction forces, influence brain activity, similarly to our observations of EEG signal variations [13]. Nishant Rao's findings on central brain region activities in response to varying MVC levels also parallel our discovery of differentiated EEG responses to force magnitudes [14].…”

“…An in-depth study of the relationship between the activation patterns of brain regions during exercise and the neuromuscular control of human movement, i.e., the brain-muscle link, is an important prerequisite for being able to use BCI control [12]. Rahman et al assessed the correlation between arm exertion and EEG power spectral density in four frequency bands under isometric contraction force, and the results indicated that the associations between the beta EEG frequency bands and different contraction forces of the arm were statistically significant [13]. Rao et al investigated the relationship between neural variability in frontal, central, and parietal regions and grip strength magnitude in an isometric control task, and their results showed that the sample entropy of the EEG varied regularly at the electrodes in the central region, while there were no significant changes in the frontal and parietal regions [14].…”