Speciality Clinical Neuropsychology
Library of the School of Health Sciences

2016-07-18

2016

Γκογκολάκη Παναγιώτα

Επίκουρος καθηγητής Σωκράτης Παπαγεωργίου

Relationship of neuropsychiatric symptoms of Alzheimer's disease and driving behavior

English

Introduction: A significant percentage of patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s
disease (AD) continue to drive their car and a wide number of studies have
shown impaired driving behavior that could be responsible for accidents. It is
estimated that the majority of patients suffer from neuropsychiatric symptoms,
even in the beginning of the disease. So, their driving could be possibly
affected by these symptoms. Previous research relevant to this matter is
lacking. Objectives: To investigate the relationship between neuropsychiatric
symptoms and basic driving parameters in a group of patients with mild AD, by
means of a driving simulator experiment. Methodology: 23 participants diagnosed
with mild AD (all men, mean age=74.9 years ± SD=7.4, mean education=11 years ±
SD=4.9, mean driving experience=43.6 years ± SD=10.1) drove on a driving
simulator after they were examined neurologically and neuropsychologically.
Their performance was compared to that of 32 healthy elders (18 females and 14
males, mean age=64.3 years ± SD=6.9, mean education=14.6 years ± SD=3.7, mean
driving experience=38.2 years ± SD=5.9, mean MMSE score=29.2 ± SD=0.9). The
experiment included two conditions: a) rural road with low traffic volume and
b) rural road with high traffic volume. Results: T test analysis showed
significant impaired driving behavior in patients group and linear regression
model showed that: a) apathy and depression could predict increased reaction
time to unexpected events, b) lack of initiative, apathy and irritability could
predict increased accident probability and c) anxiety and lack of initiative
constitute predictors for increased headway distance. AD participants with
apathy, depression and lack of initiative presented significantly more impaired
driving behavior when compared to AD participants without those symptoms.
Conclusions: Our findings indicate that specific neuropsychiatric symptoms may
affect driving performance of AD patients, through their associations with
basic driving parameters, and may increase the possibility of driving
impairments.

Alzheimer’s disease, Neuropsychiatric symptoms, Driving behavior, Driving parameters, Apathy

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https://pergamos.lib.uoa.gr/uoa/dl/object/1315081