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Mild Cognitive Impairment and Everyday Function: An Investigation of Driving Performance

Edward R. Roybal Center for Translational Research on Aging and Mobility, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama, vwadley{at}uab.edu, Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama, Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama

Ozioma Okonkwo, MA

Edward R. Roybal Center for Translational Research on Aging and Mobility University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama, Department of Psychology, School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama

Michael Crowe, PhD

Edward R. Roybal Center for Translational Research on Aging and Mobility University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama

David E. Vance, PhD

Edward R. Roybal Center for Translational Research on Aging and Mobility University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama, Department of Family/ Child and Caregiving, School of Nursing, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama

Jennifer M. Elgin, CTRS, OTR/L

Edward R. Roybal Center for Translational Research on Aging and Mobility University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama

Karlene K. Ball, PhD

Edward R. Roybal Center for Translational Research on Aging and Mobility University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama, Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama

Cynthia Owsley, PhD, MSPH

Edward R. Roybal Center for Translational Research on Aging and Mobility University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama

Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) involves subtle functional losses that may include decrements in driving skills. We compared 46 participants with MCI to 59 cognitively normal controls on a driving evaluation conducted by a driving rehabilitation specialist who was blinded to participants' MCI classification. Participants with MCI demonstrated significantly lower performance than controls on ratings of global and discrete driving maneuvers, but these differences were not at the level of frank impairments. Rather, performance was simply less than optimal, which to a lesser degree was also characteristic of a subset of the cognitively normal control group. The finding of significantly lower global driving ratings, coupled with the increased incidence of dementia among people with MCI and the known impact of dementia on driving safety, suggests the need for increased vigilance among clinicians, family members, and individuals with MCI for initially benign changes in driving that may become increasingly problematic over time.

Key Words: mild cognitive impairment • functional ability • instrumental activities of daily living • driving

This version was published on June 1, 2009

Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology, Vol. 22, No. 2, 87-94 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0891988708328215


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