TY - JOUR
AU - Heindel, W.
AB - Abstractsfrom the 17thAnnualMeeting Whelihan,W., Caron,M., Piatt, A., Ott, B., & Heindel,W. There is considerableevidence indicatingthat elderly individualswith mild to moderate dementiaare at significantlygreaterrisk of being involvedin motor vehicleaccidentsthan their non-dementedcounterparts.However,there remainsa dearth of literatureon the use of neuropsychological instrumentsfor predictionof drivingability,particularlyamongsubjects in the very early stagesof dementia.The currentstudyinvestigatedwhichmeasuresin a brief neuropsychological batterytappingthe domainsof learuingand memory,visuoconstruction/ visuospatialabilities,and executivefunctioningwere usefulfor predictingdrivingabilityas determinedby family memberratingson a 4-pointscale. Subjectsconsistedof 27 (13 men, 14 women) elderly individualswith questionableor very mild (n = 18) or mild (n = 9) dementia as determinedby CDR criteria, average MMSE scores of 21.8 (2.95), and au averageeducationalattainmentof 12.04(2.65).When subjectswere categorizedas driving with no or little difficulty(Group 1) or drivingwith difficultyor unableto drive (Group 2), MANCOVAresultsindicatedthat Group 1 (betterdrivers)demonstratedsignificantlybetter performanceon measuresof executivefunctioning(PorteusMazes, Trail MakingTest-Part B) and on a measureof verballearning(CVLTTotalLearning)when the effectsof age were statisticallycontrolled. In addition, regression analyses using the continuousratings of drivingidentifiedPorteusmazeerrorsas the only significantpredictorof drivingscores,even when age, education,and FSIQ were included as variables.In sum, the current findings suggestthat in the very early stages of dementia,executivefunctioningmeasuresmay be most useful for predictingdrivingabilities. Yuspeh,R. L., Kershaw,D. A., Vanderploeg,R. D., & Cohen, D. Does Apraxia Test Pe@ormance Differentiate Cortical from Subcortical Dementias? Apraxia,a disorderof higher corticalfunctionresultingin a partial or completeinabilityto execute 
TI - Neuropsychological predictors of driving ability in early-stage dementia
JF - Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology
DO - 10.1093/arclin/13.1.50
DA - 1998-02-01
UR - https://www.deepdyve.com/lp/oxford-university-press/neuropsychological-predictors-of-driving-ability-in-early-stage-hVNUdd3bSg
SP - 50
EP - 50
VL - 13
IS - 1
DP - DeepDyve
ER -