A single-photon emission computed tomography imaging study of driving impairment in patients with Alzheimer's disease

Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) was used in this study t o examine the neurophysiologic basis of driving impairment in 79 subjects w ith dementia, Driving impairment, as measured by caregiver ratings, was sig nificantly related to regional reduction of right hemisphere cortical perfu sion on SPECT, particularly in the temporo-occipital area, With increased s everity of driving impairment, frontal cortical perfusion was also reduced, Clock drawing was more significantly related to driving impairment than th e Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Driving impairment in Alzheimer's d isease is related to changes in cortical function which vary according to t he severity of the disease, Cognitive tests of visuoperceptual and executiv e functions may be more useful screening tools for identifying those at gre atest risk for driving problems than examinations like the MMSE that are we ighted toward left-hemisphere-based verbal tasks, Copyright (C) 2000 S. Kar ger AG. Basel.