Relationship research between mental workload and theta wave based on approximate entropy analysis

摘要

The major purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between the mental workload and the theta wave based the approximate entropy (ApEn) analysis method. ApEn is one of the nonlinear dynamics parameters to measure the complexity of sequence and quantify statistics as long as the relatively short data points are provided. The electroencephalogram (EEG) data of 64 subjects of different gender were collected during implementing different the mental workload tasks. ApEn method was used to analyze frontal midline theta rhythm (Fmθ), including Fp1, Fp2, F3, F4, C3, C4 brain electrodes. The result shows that the approximate 70% subjects' ApEn value of theta is decreased, with increasing in mental arithmetic load. So it can be concluded that the complexity of theta wave is decreased and synchronization of electrical activity related to theta wave is enhanced when the human brain is in the centralized mental status highly.