Work capability determining method and work capability determining device

Abstract

To provide a highly accurate determination result when determining a capability using a brain wave of a determination subject.SOLUTION: The present invention comprises: a step (ST4) for obtaining, from a storage part, any one of or both of brain activity information related to a brain activity intensity or a relationship between a brain activity amount from a characteristic brain part represented by a brain activity capacity and a work capacity, and connection information related to a relationship between a connectivity and work capacity of a brain activity of a characteristic brain part calculated by a brain activity amount of a connection-relation part that is in connection relationship that temporally synchronized with the brain activity of the characteristic brain part; and a step (ST6) for obtaining any one of or both of the brain activity amount of the characteristics brain part of a determination subject whose work capacity is to be determined and a connectivity of the connection relation part, and for determining a work capacity of the determination subject by using any one of or both of the brain activity amount of the characteristic brain part off the determination subject to the brain activity information and the connectivity of the connection relation part of the determination subject to the connectivity information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] An embodiment of the present invention relates to a working ability determination method and a working ability determination device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent document 1 discloses an automobile driving ability assessment device that records the intensity of gamma band electroencephalogram activity detected in the occipital visual cortex, etc., without driving an actual vehicle or using an automobile driving simulator, and assesses the driving ability of a person being assessed by relating the maximum value of this activity to driving ability determined in advance through experiments. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6472709 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the intensity of activity in the frequency band of the electroencephalogram may change due to internal factors of the subject, such as closing the eyes or becoming sleepy, or due to external factors based on external stimuli such as sound, vision, etc. If the intensity of activity in the frequency band of the electroencephalogram changes due to factors other than driving ability, the accuracy of the determination will be reduced.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a method for assessing solution-working ability and a working ability assessment device that are capable of providing highly accurate assessment results when assessing the ability of a subject using electroencephalograms. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The method of assessing working ability in an embodiment acquires from a memory unit brain activity information relating to the relationship between the brain activity amount of a characteristic brain area, which is represented by brain activity intensity or brain activity volume, and working ability, and connectivity information relating to the relationship between the connectivity of the brain activity of the characteristic brain area and working ability, which is calculated from the brain activity amount of connected related areas that are in a connected relationship that is temporally synchronized with the brain activity of the characteristic brain area, acquires the brain activity amount of the characteristic brain area of ​​a subject whose working ability is to be assessed and the connectivity of the connected related areas, and assesses the working ability of the subject using the brain activity amount of the characteristic brain area of ​​the subject for the brain activity information and the connectivity of the connected related areas of the subject for the connectivity information. Effect of the Invention

[0007] Since the present invention employs such a configuration, it is possible to provide highly accurate results when assessing the ability of a person to be assessed using electroencephalograms. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of a working ability determination device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing areas of the brain that are activated depending on the amount of work experience. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the brain activity of characteristic brain regions and the connected regions that are in a connected relationship. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing a flow of determining a working ability by the working ability determination device in the embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] 10 is a flowchart showing another flow of determining working ability by the working ability determination device in the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart showing another flow of determining working ability by the working ability determination device in the embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that each drawing is a schematic view and may differ from the actual one. Furthermore, the embodiments of the present invention shown below are examples of devices and methods for embodying the technical idea of ​​the present invention, and the technical idea of ​​the present invention does not specify the structure, arrangement, etc. of the components as described below. The technical idea of ​​the present invention can be modified in various ways within the technical scope defined by the claims.

[0010] Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of a working ability assessment device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The working ability assessment device 1 is a device used to quantify and assess the working ability proficiency of a person to be assessed. The working ability assessment device 1 includes a storage unit 11, a controller 12, an information providing unit 13, and a brain activity detection unit 14, and each unit exchanges information via a bus B.

[0011] The storage unit 11 is composed of, for example, a semiconductor storage device, a magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, etc. Alternatively, the storage unit 11 may include memories such as a register, a cache memory, a ROM (Read Only Memory) used as a main storage device, and a RAM (Random Access Memory).

[0012] The storage unit 11 stores brain activity information relating to the relationship between the brain activity amount of a characteristic brain region and working ability, which is used, for example, when judging the working ability of a person to be assessed, executed by the controller 12 described later. Also, connectivity information relating to the relationship between the connectivity of the characteristic brain region and the brain activity and working ability, which is calculated from the brain activity amount of a connected related region that is in a connected relationship that is synchronized in time with the brain activity of the characteristic brain region, is also stored.

[0013] Here, characteristic brain areas are those that are correlated with the task ability of the person being assessed. In other words, for example, for a certain task, people are divided into two groups, those who are skilled in that task and those who are not, and each group is shown a video of the task and asked to imagine themselves performing the task. In this case, for example, functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) is used to measure the brain activity of the people being assessed in each group. .

[0014] In this case, for example, an electroencephalogram sensor that detects electroencephalograms is used to measure the brain activity of the subject. In addition, when measuring the brain activity of the subject using the above-mentioned fMRI, the brain activity sensor may include a magnetic field application mechanism that applies a magnetic field to the brain of the subject and a receiving coil that receives a response wave.

[0015] In the following, a case where fMRI is used to measure the brain activity of the subject will be described as an example. The device that uses the fMRI method to measure the brain activity of the subject is the brain activity measuring device M.

[0016] In addition, the amount of brain activity obtained by measuring the brain activity of the person to be assessed can be, for example, brain activity intensity or brain activity volume, and both of them may be calculated, or either one may be calculated. Furthermore, when the brain activity of a skilled worker was measured, it was found that the inferior frontal gyrus of the frontal lobe was active, while in an unskilled worker, the inferior frontal gyrus was not active or its activity was low. Therefore, in the following embodiment of the present invention, the case where the characteristic brain region is the inferior frontal gyrus will be described as an example.

[0017] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the active areas in the brain depending on the amount of work experience. The schematic diagram of the brain shown in Figure 2 shows the brain as seen from the front. The left side of the page is the right side of the brain, and the right side is the left side of the brain. In addition, the areas of the brain that were active when the above-mentioned subject was measured using fMRI are shown by hatching.

[0018] Figure 2A shows the brain regions that were active when measuring the brain activity of an unskilled person, and Figure 2B shows the brain regions that were active when measuring the brain activity of an expert. Looking at the difference in brain activity between an expert and an expert, the activity in the inferior frontal gyrus, circled in Figure 2B, can be seen in the expert, but the activity in the inferior frontal gyrus could not be seen in the unskilled person. In other words, a correlation was found between the brain activity of the characteristic brain region (inferior frontal gyrus) and task ability.

[0019] The storage unit 11 also stores connectivity information regarding the relationship between the connectivity of the characteristic brain region and the brain activity of the characteristic brain region, which is calculated from the amount of brain activity of the connected related region that is connected in a time-synchronized manner with the brain activity of the characteristic brain region, and the work ability. Here, the connected related region refers to a brain region in which brain activity is performed together when brain activity is performed in the characteristic brain region.

[0020] This was ascertained from the fact that when the brain activity of a skilled worker was measured using the above-mentioned fMRI, in addition to the inferior frontal gyrus, which is a characteristic brain area, there were other brain areas that were activated in a time-synchronous manner. Figure 3 shows the areas identified as the connection-related areas of the inferior frontal gyrus, and shows the relationship between the characteristic brain areas and the connection-related areas. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing the connection-related areas that are connected to the brain activity of the characteristic brain areas.

[0021] When the characteristic brain area is the inferior frontal gyrus, the four areas that are understood to be connected and active at the same time as the brain activity of the inferior frontal gyrus are the left parahippocampal gyrus, the left superior parietal lobule, the left superior temporal gyrus, and the left inferior temporal gyrus. In Figure 3, each area is shown with a circle.

[0022] In addition, in Figure 3, the characteristic brain area (inferior frontal gyrus) and the related connection areas (left parahippocampal gyrus, left superior parietal lobule, left superior temporal gyrus, left inferior temporal gyrus) are connected with solid lines to show that the related connection areas have connectivity with the characteristic brain area. However, in the unskilled subjects, it was not possible to confirm the existence of related connection areas whose activity is synchronized in time with the brain activity of such characteristic brain areas.

[0023] Then, the connectivity between the connected related parts and the brain activity of the characteristic brain parts is obtained from the brain activity of the connected related parts. That is, for example, a connected related part that is actively active in association with the brain activity of the characteristic brain part is recognized as having a strong connectivity with the characteristic brain part. Furthermore, information showing the relationship between the connectivity and the task ability (hereinafter, the relationship is appropriately referred to as "connectivity information") is calculated, and the memory unit 11 stores this connectivity information.

[0024] In addition, the strength of connectivity between the characteristic brain region and the connection related region in the connection related region differs for each connection related region. However, there may be a plurality of connection related regions in which connectivity is observed in the brain activity of one characteristic brain region, such as the inferior frontal gyrus and the left parahippocampal gyrus described above. In such a case, the connectivity between the connection related region and the brain activity of the characteristic brain region may be calculated for each individual connection related region, or the plurality of connection related regions may be combined into one, and the connectivity between the combined connection related region and the characteristic brain region may be calculated.

[0025] The controller 12 is an electronic circuit that uses either or both of the brain activity information and the connectivity information described above to determine the task ability of the subject, and includes, for example, a processor (not shown). The processor may be, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro-Processing Unit).

[0026] The functions of the controller 12 described below are realized, for example, by a processor executing a computer program stored in the storage unit 11. The controller 12 may also be formed of dedicated hardware for executing each information processing described below. For example, the controller 12 may include a functional logic circuit set in a general-purpose semiconductor integrated circuit. The controller 12 may be implemented by a programmable logic device such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA). The logic device may include a programmable logic device (PLD).

[0027] When judging the working ability of the subject, the controller 12 acquires, via the brain activity detection unit 14 described later, either or both of the brain activity amount of the characteristic brain region measured by the brain activity measurement device M and the connectivity in the connected regions. Furthermore, the controller 12 acquires either or both of the brain activity information and the connectivity information from the memory unit 11.

[0028] Then, the controller 12 judges the working ability of the person to be assessed using either or both of the results of comparing the brain activity amount of the characteristic brain area of ​​the person to be assessed with the brain activity information and the results of comparing the connectivity in the connected related areas of the person to be assessed with the connectivity information.

[0029] The information providing unit 13 notifies the result of the judgment of the working ability of the person to be judged by the controller 12. Therefore, the information providing unit 13 is a device that can appeal to the five senses of a person checking the judgment result, such as a display device such as a monitor, or a speaker that can notify by voice.

[0030] The brain activity detection unit 14 detects the amount of brain activity when the brain activity of the subject is measured using the above-mentioned fMRI. Specifically, for example, the brain activity of the characteristic brain region and the brain activity of the connected related region of the subject are detected using the above-mentioned brain activity measuring device M capable of measurement using fMRI.

[0031] In addition, the brain activity measuring device M requires, for example, an image presentation device M1 that shows the subject of assessment the task process in an image and a control device that controls the brain activity measuring device M, but any configuration may be adopted for the configuration of the brain activity measuring device M as long as it is capable of measuring the brain activity of the subject of assessment.

[0032] Specifically, an example of a method for determining the working ability of a subject determined by the controller 12 is as follows. First, data of a plurality of subjects with different working abilities is collected in advance, and for example, a video showing the state of working is shown to the subjects, and the amount of brain activity is measured using fMRI in the brain activity measuring device M. Here, either the brain activity intensity or the brain activity volume of the inferior frontal gyrus, or both, are measured as characteristic brain regions.

[0033] Then, the brain activity of the characteristic brain area with the highest statistical significance is calculated. Then, the brain activity of the characteristic brain area and the task capacity are plotted two-dimensionally, and an approximation curve is calculated using, for example, the least squares method. This process yields brain activity information.

[0034] In addition, using a similar method, the brain activity of the connected related parts that are connected in a time-synchronized relationship with the brain activity of the above-mentioned characteristic brain parts is measured. Then, the connectivity with the brain activity of the characteristic brain parts calculated from the brain activity of the connected related parts is calculated. After that, an approximation curve is calculated for the relationship between the connectivity and the working ability, for example, using the least squares method. By this process, connectivity information is obtained. Both the brain activity information and the connectivity information obtained in this way are stored in the storage unit 11.

[0035] In addition, the brain activity of the characteristic brain regions and the task at the time of acquiring the above-mentioned brain activity information and connectivity information were Regarding the relationship between ability or the relationship between connectivity and work ability, the work ability may be determined, for example, by a work trainer.

[0036] When the controller 12 judges the working ability of the subject, the controller 12 measures the brain activity of the subject using fMRI. The measured brain activity may be, for example, the brain activity of a characteristic brain region or the brain activity of a connected region. The brain activity acquired by fMRI is acquired by the controller 12 via the brain activity detection unit 14. The controller 12 also acquires either brain activity information or connectivity information, or both, from the memory unit 11 in accordance with the measured brain activity of the subject.

[0037] Then, the working ability of the person to be assessed is assessed based on the brain activity information or the connectivity information. The working ability of the person to be assessed assessed by the controller 12 is notified to a person who checks the assessment result via the information providing unit 13, for example.

[0038] As described above, the controller 12 acquires the brain activity of the person to be assessed and uses the brain activity information or connectivity information stored in advance in the storage unit 11 to determine the working ability of the person to be assessed, but the method for determining the working ability of the person to be assessed is not limited to this. For example, the relationship between the brain activity of the characteristic brain parts or the connected parts and the working ability is learned by machine learning to generate a mathematical model. Then, the acquired brain activity of the person to be assessed may be applied to the generated mathematical model to determine the working ability of the person to be assessed.

[0039] [Operation] Next, the flow of the process of judging the working ability of the person to be judged by the working ability judgment device 1 will be described. In the following, the cases of using brain activity information, using connectivity information, and using both of these will be described separately when judging the working ability of the person to be judged. However, since the methods of acquiring brain activity information and connectivity information are different, the cases will be described separately below.

[0040] Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of work capacity determination by the work capacity determination device 1 in the embodiment of the present invention. The flow of work capacity determination shown in Fig. 4 is a case where brain activity information is used. Note that the method of determining the work capacity of a person to be determined described below is premised on the fact that brain activity information and connectivity information are stored in the storage unit 11 in advance.

[0041] First, a video of an activity to be evaluated is presented, for example, on an image presentation device M1 in order to measure the amount of brain activity of the subject (ST1). Then, the brain activity of the characteristic brain region of the subject is measured by fMRI in the brain activity measurement device M (ST2). The controller 12 obtains the results of the brain activity measured by the brain activity measurement device M from the brain activity detection unit 14, and calculates the amount of brain activity in the characteristic brain region of the subject based on the results (ST3).

[0042] Although the controller 12 calculates the amount of brain activity in this manner, for example, the calculation of the amount of brain activity may be performed in the brain activity measuring device M, and the controller 12 may acquire the results of the calculated amount of brain activity via the brain activity detection unit 14.

[0043] The controller 12 also accesses the memory unit 11 to obtain information (brain activity information) regarding the relationship between the brain activity amount of the characteristic brain region and the task ability (ST4). Then, the controller 12 compares the brain activity amount of the subject with the brain activity information (ST5).

[0044] The controller 12 judges the working ability of the person to be judged based on, for example, an approximation curve in which the amount of brain activity represents brain activity information. Specifically, the controller 12 judges the level of working ability based on the brain activity information. A threshold is set in advance, and the brain activity of the subject is compared with the threshold (ST6).

[0045] As a result, if the brain activity of the person to be judged is equal to or greater than the brain activity information (threshold) (YES in ST6), the controller 12 judges that the working ability of the person to be judged is high (ST7). On the other hand, if the brain activity of the person to be judged is smaller than the brain activity information (threshold) (NO in ST7), the controller 12 judges that the working ability of the person to be judged is low (ST8).

[0046] On the other hand, in judging the working ability of a person to be judged, the connectivity information is used as follows: Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing another flow of judging the working ability by the working ability judgment device 1 in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0047] 5, in order to measure the brain activity of the subject, a task video to be evaluated is presented, for example, in the image presentation device M1 (ST21), and the brain activity of the subject's characteristic brain region is measured by fMRI in the brain activity measurement device M (ST22), as described above. Then, the brain activity of the subject's connected region that is connected to the brain activity of the characteristic brain region is measured (ST23).

[0048] The controller 12 calculates the connectivity between the characteristic brain region and the connected related region based on the acquired brain activity amount of the characteristic brain region and the brain activity amount of the connected related region (ST24). Also, the controller 12 acquires information (connectivity information) on the relationship between the connectivity and the task ability from the memory unit 11 (ST25).

[0049] Then, the controller 12 compares the brain activity of the connected parts of the subject with the connectivity information (ST26). The controller 12 judges the task ability of the subject based on, for example, the approximation curve described above in which the brain activity is indicated in the connectivity information.

[0050] Specifically, a threshold for determining whether the task ability is high or low is set in advance in the connectivity information, and the brain activity of the subject is compared with the threshold (ST27). As a result, if the brain activity of the subject is equal to or higher than the connectivity information (threshold) (YES in ST27), the controller 12 determines that the task ability of the subject is high (ST28).

[0051] On the other hand, if the brain activity amount of the person to be judged is smaller than the connectivity information (threshold value) (NO in ST27), the controller 12 judges that the working ability of the person to be judged is low (ST29).

[0052] So far, an example has been described in which either brain activity information or connectivity information is used to determine the working ability of a person to be assessed. On the other hand, it is also possible to determine the working ability of a person to be assessed using both the brain activity information and the connectivity information. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of determining working ability using both the brain activity information and the connectivity information by the working ability determination device 1 in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0053] 6, as described above, a task video to be evaluated in order to measure the amount of brain activity of the subject is presented, for example, on the image presentation device M1 (ST41), and the brain activity of the characteristic brain region of the subject is measured by fMRI on the brain activity measuring device M (ST42). Then, the controller 12 calculates the amount of brain activity in the characteristic brain region of the subject based on the results measured by the brain activity measuring device M (ST43).

[0054] Furthermore, the brain activity of the subject is measured in the connected related areas that are connected to the brain activity of the characteristic brain areas (ST44), and the controller 12 calculates the connectivity between the two based on the acquired brain activity of the characteristic brain areas and the brain activity of the connected related areas (ST45).

[0055] Then, the controller 12 accesses the memory unit 11 to obtain information (brain activity information) regarding the relationship between the brain activity of the characteristic brain area and the work capacity (ST46), and also obtains information (connectivity information) regarding the relationship between the connectivity and the work capacity (ST47).

[0056] The controller 12 compares the calculated brain activity amount of the person to be assessed with the brain activity information, and also compares the connectivity with the connectivity information (ST48). In the assessment process executed in the working ability assessment device 1 in the embodiment of the present invention, first, the brain activity information is used to roughly assess the level of the working ability of the person to be assessed.

[0057] That is, as a result of comparing the brain activity amount of the subject with a threshold value for judging whether the working ability is high or low, which is preset in the brain activity information, the controller 12 judges that the working ability of the subject is high if the brain activity amount of the subject is equal to or higher than the brain activity information (threshold value) (YES in ST49).Then, the controller 12 further compares the brain activity amount in the connected related parts of the subject with a threshold value for judging whether the working ability is high or low, which is preset in the connectivity information (ST50).

[0058] As a result, if the brain activity in the connected parts of the subject is equal to or greater than the connectivity information (threshold) (YES in ST50), the controller 12 determines that the subject has high work ability (ST51). On the other hand, if the brain activity is less than the connectivity information (threshold) (NO in ST50), the controller 12 determines that the subject has medium work ability (ST52).

[0059] This is because the brain activity information is used to make a judgment before the connectivity information is used to make a judgment, and the level of the work ability of the person to be judged is judged, and the work ability is judged to be high based on the brain activity information, so the work ability is judged to be medium. On the other hand, if the amount of brain activity of the person to be judged is smaller than the brain activity information (threshold) (NO in ST49), the controller 12 judges that the work ability of the person to be judged is low (ST53).

[0060] By using both the brain activity information and the connectivity information in this way, the working ability of the person to be assessed can be assessed in more detail.

[0061] [Effects of the embodiment] (1) Obtain from a memory unit either or both of the following: brain activity information regarding the relationship between the brain activity of a characteristic brain area, which is represented by brain activity intensity or brain activity volume, and working ability; and connectivity information regarding the relationship between the connectivity of the brain activity of a characteristic brain area and working ability, which is calculated from the brain activity of a connected related area that is in a connected relationship that is temporally synchronized with the brain activity of the characteristic brain area; obtain either or both of the brain activity of the characteristic brain area of ​​the subject whose working ability is to be assessed and the connectivity of the connected related areas; and determine the working ability of the subject using either or both of the brain activity of the characteristic brain area of ​​the subject relative to the brain activity information and the connectivity of the connected related areas of the subject relative to the connectivity information.

[0062] By adopting such an assessment method, it is possible to provide highly accurate assessment results when assessing the ability of the person being assessed using their brain waves, without being influenced by internal or external factors of the person being assessed.

[0063] (2) When assessing the working ability of the person being assessed, the level of the working ability of the person being assessed is determined based on a comparison of the brain activity of the characteristic brain areas of the person being assessed with the brain activity of the characteristic brain areas in the brain activity information, or a comparison of the connectivity of the connected areas of the person being assessed with the connectivity in the connectivity information.

[0064] In this way, when judging the working ability of a person to be assessed, by using the amount of brain activity or connectivity information, it is possible to provide a highly accurate assessment result.

[0065] (3) Either the amount of brain activity in the characteristic brain areas of the subject and / or the connectivity in the connected areas are obtained by a brain activity measuring device.

[0066] For example, by using a brain activity measuring device such as fMRI as a device for measuring the brain activity of the person to be assessed, it is possible to measure the brain activity of the person to be assessed more accurately.

[0067] (4) Measurement of either the brain activity or connectivity, or both, of the subject using a brain activity measuring device is performed when a driving image is presented to the subject using an image presentation device.

[0068] When measuring the brain activity of the person being assessed, by showing the actual work ability assessment device through an image presentation device, brain activity in accordance with the actual work can be measured more accurately, resulting in improved accuracy in assessing work ability.

[0069] (5) The characteristic brain region is the inferior frontal gyrus. When assessing the working ability of a person to be assessed, the accuracy of the assessment can be further improved by measuring the brain activity of the inferior frontal gyrus, which functions when the person actually performs the work.

[0070] (6) The inferior frontal gyrus, which is a characteristic brain region, is the left inferior frontal gyrus. When assessing the task ability of a person to be assessed, the accuracy of the assessment can be further improved by measuring the brain activity of the inferior frontal gyrus, which functions when the person actually performs the task.

[0071] (7) The area connected to the brain activity of the characteristic brain area is at least one of the left temporal area, the left parahippocampal gyrus, and the left superior parietal lobule. When assessing the work ability of the subject, the accuracy of the assessment can be further improved by measuring the brain activity of the area connected to the inferior frontal gyrus, which functions when actually performing the work.

[0072] (8) A working ability assessment device comprising: a memory unit that stores either or both of the following: brain activity information regarding the relationship between the brain activity of a characteristic brain area, which is represented by brain activity intensity or brain activity volume, and working ability; connectivity information regarding the relationship between the connectivity of the brain activity of a characteristic brain area and working ability, which is calculated from the brain activity of a connected area that is in a connected relationship that is temporally synchronized with the brain activity of the characteristic brain area; and a controller that acquires either or both of the brain activity of the characteristic brain area of ​​a subject whose working ability is to be assessed and the connectivity in the connected areas, and compares the brain activity information with the brain activity of the subject, and assesses the working ability of the subject using either or both of the connectivity information and the connectivity in the connected areas of the subject.

[0073] By adopting such a judgment device, it is possible to provide highly accurate judgment results when judging the ability of the person to be judged using the brain waves of the person to be judged, without being influenced by internal or external factors of the person to be judged. [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 1...Working ability assessment device, 11...Memory unit, 12...Controller, 13...Information provision unit, 14...Brain activity detection unit, M...Brain activity measurement device, M1...Image presentation device

Claims

1. Acquire from a storage unit either or both of the following: brain activity information on the relationship between the brain activity of a characteristic brain region, which is represented by brain activity intensity or brain activity volume, and work ability; and connectivity information on the relationship between the connectivity of the characteristic brain region and work ability, which is calculated from the brain activity of a connected region that is in a connected relationship that is synchronized in time with the brain activity of the characteristic brain region; Obtaining either or both of the brain activity of the characteristic brain region of the subject whose working ability is to be assessed and the connectivity of the connected related regions; A method for assessing work ability, characterized in that the work ability of the person being assessed is assessed using either or both of the brain activity of the person being assessed in the characteristic brain areas in response to the brain activity information, and the connectivity in the connected related areas of the person being assessed in response to the connectivity information.

2. The method for assessing work ability of the person to be assessed, as described in claim 1, characterized in that when assessing the work ability of the person to be assessed, the level of the work ability of the person to be assessed is judged based on a comparison of the brain activity of the characteristic brain area of ​​the person to be assessed with the brain activity of the characteristic brain area in the brain activity information, or a comparison of the connectivity in the connected related areas of the person to be assessed with the connectivity in the connectivity information.

3. The method for assessing work ability as described in claim 1, characterized in that either or both of the brain activity of the characteristic brain area of ​​the subject and the connectivity in the connected areas are obtained by a brain activity measuring device.

4. The method for assessing work ability as described in claim 3, characterized in that the measurement of either the brain activity or the connectivity of the person to be assessed by the brain activity measuring device, or both, is performed when an image of driving is presented to the person to be assessed by an image presentation device.

5. 5. The method for determining working ability according to claim 1, wherein the characteristic brain region is the inferior frontal gyrus.

6. 6. The method for determining working ability according to claim 5, wherein the inferior frontal gyrus, which is the characteristic brain region, is the left inferior frontal gyrus.

7. A method for assessing working ability according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the area in the connected relationship with the brain activity of the characteristic brain area is at least one of the left temporal area, the left parahippocampal gyrus, and the left superior parietal lobule.

8. A storage unit for storing either or both of brain activity information on the relationship between the brain activity of a characteristic brain region, which is represented by brain activity intensity or brain activity volume, and work ability, and connectivity information on the relationship between the connectivity of the characteristic brain region and work ability, which is calculated from the brain activity of a connected region that is in a connected relationship that is synchronized in time with the brain activity of the characteristic brain region; a controller that acquires either or both of the brain activity amount of the characteristic brain region of the subject to be assessed and the connectivity in the related connected regions of the subject to be assessed for work ability, and compares the brain activity information with the brain activity amount of the characteristic brain region of the subject to be assessed, and judges the work ability of the subject to be assessed using either or both of the connectivity information and the connectivity in the related connected regions of the subject to be assessed; A working ability determination device comprising:

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