ZURICH, Switzerland, Aug. 18 (UPI) -- Swiss scientists say they have discovered electrical stimulation of the brain can produce more careful driving behavior without the driver's awareness.
The University of Zurich researchers recruited 24 men for tests involving a sophisticated driving simulator. The participants were tested before and after 15 minutes of stimulation of their left or right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, or DLPFC -- a region of the brain's frontal lobe that mediates complex behavior and judgments.
The researchers from the university's Institute of Psychology said excitation of either left or right DLPFC resulted in more careful driving, but participants were unaware of any changes in their behavior.
The scientists, led by Professor Lutz Jancke, said the study was one of the first to prove external stimulation of the DLPFC can influence a complex behavior, and the findings might lead to new therapies for problematic conduct.
The study that included Gian Beelil and Katja Gassera, appears in the journal Behavioral and Brain Functions.
