Study suggests Alzheimer's affects driving

study led by Charles Duffy, associate professor of neurology, suggests that patients with Alzheimer's disease lose their way not simply because their memory is failing but because they are subject to a unique form of brain damage that causes "motion blindness," a condition that can impair driving ability.

"While it's obvious that people with Alzheimer's disease are losing their memory, that's only part of the reason why they become lost," says Duffy. "These patients also lose their ability to perceive their own motion. That's ultimately what puts them at much greater risk than others of becoming lost."

Laura Cushman, associate professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation, has studied older drivers for 15 years and is identifying ways to predict safe and unsafe drivers. She has found that a combination of three tests that measure concentration, ability to shift attention between tasks, and the ability to see and respond to useful information can pinpoint potentially dangerous drivers.

Currently Duffy and Cushman are creating a virtual-reality program to assess and possibly improve a patient's ability to get around. Cushman recommends that concerned family members have Alzheimer's patients tested by a driver rehabilitation and assessment service such as Rochester Rehabilitation Center, which tested the patients in this study.

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