[Development of a sensitive neuropsychological battery to foretell the performance in elder's car driving]

The increase in life expectancy move older people to continue driving.

Development of sensitive neuropsychological battery to evaluate driving routines.

78 men were received at the Santojanni Hospital, derived by the General Direction of Road Education and licenses of Buenos Aires city (DGEVL) when people were transacting their driving license renovation. Age 64.2 (DS14,0) years and education 7.9 (DS4,5) years. They were evaluated with MMSE, Cognitive Reaction test (TRC); Procedural memory test (TMP); Continuous Performance test (TPC); Trail Making Test (TMT); Stroop (ST); WAIS III Subtests: Digit-Symbol (DS), Search of Symbols (BS); Digits and Construction with cubes (CC); Rey visual Complex Figure (FC); Benton Visual Discrimination test (TB) and Test of transit Signals (DST). Statistical package SPSS 12.0 was used to obtain, descriptive, frequencies and correlations statistics.

The most sensitive tests were: FC; TMT; ST; TPC; DS; TRC; TMP signifying impairment in: perceptual organization; visuospatial skills; information processing speed; reaction capacity before decision making; maintained, selective and executive attention and procedural memory, all of them of critical importance in driving and its control in the transit. Alarming ignorance of transit signals was observed.

Of 78 subjects, 23.1% renewed their registry; 33,3% renewed but with lower category and sooner next control; 38,5% were not renewed; 3,8% did not return to DGEVL; 1,3% we do not know data.