The defense is confronted with a high competition on the labor market and a substantial scarcity of personnel. If we are able to enhance and maintain resilience and performance of personnel by proper selection procedures or mental training we expect to increase the return on investment of military education, training and operation, that is: troops will operate more successfully with more endurance during military missions. However, at present the defense needs more knowledge concerning the selection and training of personnel that is capable and motivated (resilient) to cope with stressful operations in threatening environments. The current report goes into a neuroscientific approach. We provide an overview of applications for selection and neurofeedback-training of EEG (electro-encephalogram) and the hemodynamic response as measured by fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) or NIRS (near-infrared spectrometry). These types of brain signals can be measured non-invasively, and, in the case of EEG and NIRS, are portable and relatively cheap. We have systematically searched for EEG and hemodynamic (NIRS and fMRI) predictors of military performance under extreme conditions such that a more concrete idea can be formed of the relatively short-term (im)possibilities of neuroscientific applications in selection and neurofeedback training. Our literature search pointed out that for some possible predictors of military performance, there is a rapidly growing body of evidence for measurable neural correlates. This holds especially for personality traits as defined by the Five Factor and Eysencks neuroticism-extraversion model, as well as for stress reactions. Neurofeedback-training has recently been shown to be effective in some cases, but solid research is still needed to investigate whether it can enhance mental resilience. It would be optimal to provide feedback directly over those brain processes that have been shown to determine military performance. It is argued that this will be possible only with the aid of synthetic environments (simulation, virtual reality, gaming) that maximally mimic real military situations.
Veelbelovende ontwikkelingen op basis van de neurowetenschappen ter verhoging van de mentale veerkracht van militairen. Zie verder Managementuittreksel in URL Overig.