[Development of a sensitive neuropsychological battery to foretell the performance in elder's car driving].
BACKGROUND
The increase in life expectancy move older people to continue driving.


OBJECTIVE
Development of sensitive neuropsychological battery to evaluate driving routines.


METHODS
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.


RESULTS
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.


CONCLUSIONS
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.
Grillo
Roxana
R
Centro de Asistencia, Investigación, Tratamiento y Prevención de las Enfermedades de la Memoria - CAITPEM - Hospital Santojanni - Pilar 950 - (C1408INH) Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina. roxanagrillo@yahoo.com.ar
Mangone
Carlos A
CA
D000368:Aged; D001334:Automobile Driving; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity