title: Driving competences and neuropsychological factors associated to driving counseling in multiple sclerosis.
abstract: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) significantly impacts daily living activities, including car driving. To investigate driving difficulties experienced with MS, we compared 50 MS patients with minor or moderate disability and 50 healthy controls (HC) using computerized driving tests (the ASDE driver test and the Useful Field of View (UFOV) test) and neuropsychological tests. Inclusion criteria included being active drivers. We evaluated whether cognitive deterioration in MS is associated with the results of driving tests by comparing MS patients without cognitive deterioration with HC. The results indicated that the MS patients performed worse than the HCs in attention, information processing, working memory and visuomotor coordination tasks. Furthermore, MS patients with cognitive impairments experienced more difficulties in the driving tests than did the non-impaired MS patients. Motor dysfunction associated with MS also played an important role in this activity. The results of this study suggest that MS should be assessed carefully and that special emphasis should be placed on visuomotor coordination and executive functions because patients with minor motor disability and subtle cognitive impairments can pass measures predictive of driving safety.
authors.affiliation: 1Servei de Neurologia;Hospital Universitari Mutua Terrassa,Terrassa,Spain.
authors.forename: Dolors
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Badenes
authors.affiliation: 3Neuropsychological Unit,Consorci Sanitari de Terrassa,Terrassa,Spain.
authors.forename: Maite
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Garolera
authors.affiliation: 1Servei de Neurologia;Hospital Universitari Mutua Terrassa,Terrassa,Spain.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Casas
authors.affiliation: 4EAIA,Germanes Hospitalaries Sagrat Cor,Martorell,Spain.
authors.forename: Juan Carlos
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Cejudo-Bolivar
authors.affiliation: 1Servei de Neurologia;Hospital Universitari Mutua Terrassa,Terrassa,Spain.
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: de Francisco
authors.affiliation: 5Neuropsychological Research Organization (Psyncro),Sant Joan Despi,Spain.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zaragoza
authors.affiliation: 1Servei de Neurologia;Hospital Universitari Mutua Terrassa,Terrassa,Spain.
authors.forename: Noemi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Calzado
authors.affiliation: 1Servei de Neurologia;Hospital Universitari Mutua Terrassa,Terrassa,Spain.
authors.forename: Miquel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aguilar
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000523:psychology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D003376:Counseling; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D056344:Executive Function; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019957:Motor Skills Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric