REVIEW ARTICLE published: 23 December 2013 doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2013.00889 Neuroergonomics: a review of applications to physical and cognitive work Ranjana K. Mehta 1* and Raja Parasuraman 2 1 Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Rural Public Healthy, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA 2 Center of Excellence in Neuroergonomics, Technology, and Cognition, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA Edited by: Neuroergonomics is an emerging science that is defined as the study of the human Klaus Gramann, Berlin Institute of brain in relation to performance at work and in everyday settings. This paper provides a Technology, Germany critical review of the neuroergonomic approach to evaluating physical and cognitive work, Reviewed by: particularly in mobile settings. Neuroergonomics research employing mobile and immobile Matthew Rizzo, The University of Iowa College of Medicine, USA brain imaging techniques are discussed in the following areas of physical and cognitive Andy McKinley, Applied Neuroscience work: (1) physical work parameters; (2) physical fatigue; (3) vigilance and mental fatigue; Branch of the 711 Human (4) training and neuroadaptive systems; and (5) assessment of concurrent physical and Performance Wing, USA cognitive work. Finally, the integration of brain and body measurements in investigating *Correspondence: workload and fatigue, in the context of mobile brain/body imaging (“MoBI”), is discussed. Ranjana K. Mehta, Department of Environmental and Occupational Keywords: physical work parameters, physical fatigue, mental fatigue, vigilance, training, neuroadaptive systems Health, School of Rural Public Healthy, Texas A&M University, Room 106, College Station, TX 77843-1266, USA e-mail:
[email protected] INTRODUCTION utility of combined brain and body measurements in investigating Neuroergonomics is defined as the study of the human brain workload and fatigue for neuroergonomic investigations.