Sokratis Papageorgiou, Ion Beratis, Nikolaos Andronas, Alexandra Economou, Dimosthenis Pavlou, Sofia Stougioti, George Tsivgoulis, Leonidas Stefanis, George Yannis
Introduction: Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) represents a transitional stage between normal aging and dementia with no or only minimal impairment in everyday activities. Recent research suggests that individuals with MCI may have altered driving abilities. The scope of the present research is to investigate the association of neurological and neuropsychological measures with indexes of driving performance in individuals with MCI. Methods: A CDR score of 0.5 was required for the diagnosis of MCI. Additional inclusion criteria were the presence of a valid driver’s license andregular car driving. Sixteen individuals with MCI attending our Memory Clinic participated in the study. The collection of the data included: (a) detailed clinical medical and neurological assessment, (b) extensive neuropsychological assessment, and (c) a driving simulation experiment. Outcome measures were driving speed, number of crashes, and reaction time in unexpected incidents. Results: A regression model that included as predictors general cognitive functioning (MMSE) as well as balance and movement coordination explained 55.9% of the variancein driving speed, R²=.559, F(2,13)=8.25, p=.005. Measures of general cognitive functioning (MMSE), visuospatial memory and processing speed explained 77.3% of the variancein number of crashes, R²=.773, F(3,10)=11.35, p=.001. Measures of general cognitive functioning (MMSE), processing speed as well as as balance and movement coordination explained 73.2% of the variancein reaction time, R² =.732, F(3,12)=10.92, p=.001. Conclusion: Preliminary results show that neurological and neuropsychological measures are useful predictors of driving competence of individuals with MCI and could be used for detecting MCI patients at risk for car accidents.
Joint Congress of European Neurology, Istanbul, 2014
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