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Related Experiment Videos

Maze test performance and reported driving ability in early dementia.

Brian R Ott1, William C Heindel, William M Whelihan

  • 1Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA. Brian_Ott@mhri.org

Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology
|September 12, 2003
PubMed
Summary

Computerized maze tests effectively screen for driving impairment in elderly individuals with cognitive decline. Performance on these tasks predicts driving ability, offering a promising tool for identifying at-risk drivers.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Gerontology
  • Cognitive Psychology

Background:

  • Driving ability is crucial for elderly independence.
  • Cognitive impairment, including dementia, can significantly impact driving skills.
  • Standard neuropsychological tests have limitations in predicting real-world driving performance.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the efficacy of neuropsychological tests and computerized maze tasks in assessing driving ability in older adults with cognitive impairment.
  • To identify specific cognitive tasks that reliably predict driving impairment.

Main Methods:

  • A battery of standard neuropsychological tests was administered to 27 subjects with questionable to mild dementia.
  • A computerized maze task with 10 mazes was given to 40 normal elders and drivers with questionable to moderate dementia.

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  • Driving ability was assessed using caregiver ratings and crash frequency.

    • Main Results:

    • In the initial study, Porteus Maze errors were the sole significant predictor of driving ability.
    • In the follow-up study, all 10 computerized mazes significantly correlated with driving ability ratings.
    • Computerized maze performance showed strong relationships with caregiver-rated driving ability and crash data.

    Conclusions:

    • Computerized maze tasks show significant promise as a screening tool for identifying driving impairment in cognitively impaired elderly and demented drivers.
    • These tasks offer a more objective and sensitive measure of driving-related cognitive function compared to traditional tests.
    • Early identification of driving impairment can aid in interventions to enhance safety for elderly drivers and the public.