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Updated: Jul 19, 2026

Driving Simulation in the Clinic: Testing Visual Exploratory Behavior in Daily Life Activities in Patients with Visual Field Defects
Published on: September 18, 2012
Driving abilities in frontotemporal dementia patients
V de Simone1, L Kaplan, N Patronas
1Cognitive Neuroscience Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
Objective:
To evaluate driving competency and the relationship between neuropsychiatric symptoms and driving behavior in frontotemporal dementia (FTD) patients.
Methods:
Fifteen patients with a diagnosis of FTD and 15 healthy controls were administered a driving simulation task. Measures of driving performance and neuropsychiatric symptoms were assessed.
Results:
The FTD patients received more speeding tickets, ran more stop signs and were involved in more off-road crashes and collisions than the controls. The patients' overall average speed was significantly higher. Driving performance was correlated with agitated behavior.
Conclusions:
Behavioral changes characteristic of FTD patients have an impact on their driving skills leading to inappropriate driving behavior.
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