Comparison of driving capacity among patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and healthy controls using the lane change task

Journal of the Neurological Sciences
Heather Anne HayesMark Bromberg

Abstract

Compare driving capacity of individuals with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and healthy controls (HC) using a driving simulation program. A prospective study was performed on individuals with ALS who reported they were still driving, and a group of HCs. Demographic data included age and gender. Assessment included cognitive assessments (Montreal cognitive assessment [MoCA] and ALS Cognitive Behavioral Scale [ALS-CBS]); gait speed (m/s); ALS Functional Rating Scale-revised total score (ALSFRS-R); and simulated driving assessment (Lane Change Task [LCT]). The LCT is a simple assessment tool which simulates the visual, cognitive, and motor demands of driving to detect at-risk drivers and uses distractions (secondary tasks) to quantify the performance loss on the primary task (lane changes). Twenty-eight individuals with ALS (22 males, mean age 64 years) and 20 HCs (7 males, mean age 59 years) were studied. Individuals with mild to moderate ALS (ALSFRS-R mean 36.2) were older, had mild cognitive difficulty (MoCA 24 vs 27; ALS-CBS 14.19 [SD 3.85]) and mobility decline (gait speed 1.1 vs 1.4 m/s) compared to HC. Driving assessment using the LCT found no differences in baseline scores or during motor, cognitive, or visually distr...Continue Reading

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