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Impaired visual search in drivers with Parkinson's disease
Author(s) -
Uc Ergun Y.,
Rizzo Matthew,
Anderson Steven W.,
Sparks JonDavid,
Rodnitzky Robert L.,
Dawson Jeffrey D.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
annals of neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.764
H-Index - 296
eISSN - 1531-8249
pISSN - 0364-5134
DOI - 10.1002/ana.20958
Subject(s) - cognition , landmark , audiology , visual search , psychology , visual field , task (project management) , cognitive flexibility , flexibility (engineering) , physical medicine and rehabilitation , cognitive test , poison control , medicine , computer science , cognitive psychology , artificial intelligence , engineering , neuroscience , medical emergency , statistics , mathematics , systems engineering
Objective To assess the ability for visual search and recognition of roadside targets and safety errors during a landmark and traffic sign identification task in drivers with Parkinson's disease (PD). Methods Seventy‐nine drivers with PD and 151neurologically normal older adults underwent a battery of visual, cognitive, and motor tests. The drivers were asked to report sightings of specific landmarks and traffic signs along a four‐lane commercial strip during an experimental drive in an instrumented vehicle. Results The drivers with PD identified significantly fewer landmarks and traffic signs, and they committed more at‐fault safety errors during the task than control subjects, even after adjusting for baseline errors. Within the PD group, the most important predictors of landmark and traffic sign identification rate were performances on Useful Field of View (visual speed of processing and attention) and Complex Figure Test‐Copy (visuospatial abilities). Trail Making Test (B‐A), a measure of cognitive flexibility independent of motor function, was the only independent predictor of at‐fault safety errors in drivers with PD. Interpretation The cognitive and visual deficits associated with PD resulted in impaired visual search while driving, and the increased cognitive load during this task worsened their driving safety. Ann Neurol 2006