TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2005//
TI  - Driver landmark and traffic sign identification in early Alzheimer's disease
JO  - Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry
A1  - Dawson, Jeffrey D.
A1  - Shi, Qichang
A1  - Anderson, Steven W.
A1  - Rizzo, Matthew
A1  - Uc, Ergun Y.
A1  - Uc, Ergun Y
SP  - 764
EP  - 768
VL  - 76
IS  - 6
N2  - OBJECTIVE: To assess visual search and recognition of roadside targets and safety errors during a landmark and traffic sign identification task in drivers with Alzheimer's disease. METHODS: 33 drivers with probable Alzheimer's disease of mild severity and 137 neurologically normal older adults underwent a battery of visual and cognitive tests and were asked to report detection of specific landmarks and traffic signs along a segment of an experimental drive. RESULTS: The drivers with mild Alzheimer's disease identified significantly fewer landmarks and traffic signs and made more at-fault safety errors during the task than control subjects. Roadside target identification performance and safety errors were predicted by scores on standardised tests of visual and cognitive function. CONCLUSIONS: Drivers with Alzheimer's disease are impaired in a task of visual search and recognition of roadside targets; the demands of these targets on visual perception, attention, executive functions, and memory probably increase the cognitive load, worsening driving safety.
LA  - 
SN  - 0022-3050
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/jnnp.2004.049338
ID  - ref1
ER  -