INS NYC 2024 Program

Poster	Poster Session 03 Program Schedule 02/15/2024 09:30 am - 10:40 am Room: Shubert Complex (Posters 1-60) Poster Session 03: Neurotrauma \| Neurovascular Final Abstract #44 The Complex Relationship Between Cognition and Observed Risky Driving in Healthy Adults Rachel Lyons, Drexel University, Philadelphia, United States Jocelyn Ang, Drexel University, Philadelphia, United States Molly Split, Drexel University, Philadelphia, United States Aleksandar Gonevski, Drexel University, Philadelphia, United States Oluwatoniloba Ogunkoya, Drexel Univeristy, Philadelphia, United States Tasmia Hasan, Drexel University, Philadelphia, United States Kathryn Devlin, Drexel University, Philadelphia, United States Maria Schultheis, Drexel University, Philadelphia, United States Category: Cognitive Intervention/Rehabilitation Keyword 1: driving Keyword 2: neuropsychological assessment Keyword 3: cognitive functioning Objective: Clinical driving evaluations include neuropsychological tests that screen for cognitive deficits, but their relation to directly observed, real-world driving is unclear. Past studies have focused on more global driving behavior (e.g. collisions, violations) obtained from self-reports and driving records as opposed to direct observation of more subtle driving behaviors. This study uses video telematics to examine relationships between neuropsychological performance and directly observed naturalistic driving-as-usual in healthy adult drivers. Patterns of driving behaviors among these drivers were identified and examined in relation to their cognitive correlates. Participants and Methods: Twenty-six neurologically healthy drivers (ages 23-61, 65% women) were recruited from the general community. They completed neuropsychological testing and 28 days of naturalistic driving with an in-vehicle video telematics platform that detected unsafe driving behaviors. The neuropsychological battery measured driving-relevant domains, namely basic attention, complex attention, processing speed, executive function, and visuospatial memory. We examined correlations between neuropsychological measures and unsafe driving behaviors. Additionally, we performed an exploratory two-step cluster analysis of driving behaviors and identified the cognitive correlates of the clusters using analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results: Driving at an unsafe following distance was correlated with better performance in the areas of selective attention (r=-.58, p=.002), written processing speed (r=.48, p=.014), oral processing speed (r=.51, p=.007), and immediate visuospatial recall (r=.51, p=.008), and fewer rapid sequencing errors (r=-.49, p=.011). Speeding was correlated with better immediate visuospatial recall (r=.48, p=.015) and delayed visuospatial recall (r=.42, p=.038). By contrast, driving unbelted was correlated with poorer executive function (r=-.48, p=.013), and cellphone use was correlated with poorer processing speed (r=-.39, p=.047). Five clusters of driving behavior were identified: one with the riskiest driving, one with the least risky driving, and three with intermediate driving risk. The cluster that engaged in the riskiest driving had the greatest quantity and breadth of unsafe driving behaviors and had a weakness in basic attention on cognitive testing. The least risky driving cluster had weaknesses in immediate recall, processing speed, and working memory. Conclusions: In healthy adult drivers, relationships between cognition and driving are not linear. Cognitive weaknesses can be associated with risky driving or with less risky driving, potentially as a compensatory strategy. These novel findings linking cognition to specific driving behaviors offer a more detailed view of how cognition affects driving risk and may have implications for reducing risky driving in the general population. Cluster analysis results are preliminary given the small sample size of this study. We plan to expand this work to broader samples and clinical populations to increase generalizability and applicability to clinical driving evaluations.

Poster

02/15/2024
09:30 am - 10:40 am
Room: Shubert Complex (Posters 1-60)

Poster Session 03: Neurotrauma | Neurovascular

Final Abstract #44

The Complex Relationship Between Cognition and Observed Risky Driving in Healthy Adults

Rachel Lyons, Drexel University, Philadelphia, United States
Jocelyn Ang, Drexel University, Philadelphia, United States
Molly Split, Drexel University, Philadelphia, United States
Aleksandar Gonevski, Drexel University, Philadelphia, United States
Oluwatoniloba Ogunkoya, Drexel Univeristy, Philadelphia, United States
Tasmia Hasan, Drexel University, Philadelphia, United States
Kathryn Devlin, Drexel University, Philadelphia, United States
Maria Schultheis, Drexel University, Philadelphia, United States

Category: Cognitive Intervention/Rehabilitation

Keyword 1: driving
Keyword 2: neuropsychological assessment
Keyword 3: cognitive functioning

Objective:

Clinical driving evaluations include neuropsychological tests that screen for cognitive deficits, but their relation to directly observed, real-world driving is unclear. Past studies have focused on more global driving behavior (e.g. collisions, violations) obtained from self-reports and driving records as opposed to direct observation of more subtle driving behaviors. This study uses video telematics to examine relationships between neuropsychological performance and directly observed naturalistic driving-as-usual in healthy adult drivers. Patterns of driving behaviors among these drivers were identified and examined in relation to their cognitive correlates.

Participants and Methods:

Twenty-six neurologically healthy drivers (ages 23-61, 65% women) were recruited from the general community. They completed neuropsychological testing and 28 days of naturalistic driving with an in-vehicle video telematics platform that detected unsafe driving behaviors. The neuropsychological battery measured driving-relevant domains, namely basic attention, complex attention, processing speed, executive function, and visuospatial memory. We examined correlations between neuropsychological measures and unsafe driving behaviors. Additionally, we performed an exploratory two-step cluster analysis of driving behaviors and identified the cognitive correlates of the clusters using analysis of variance (ANOVA).

Results:

Driving at an unsafe following distance was correlated with better performance in the areas of selective attention (r=-.58, p=.002), written processing speed (r=.48, p=.014), oral processing speed (r=.51, p=.007), and immediate visuospatial recall (r=.51, p=.008), and fewer rapid sequencing errors (r=-.49, p=.011). Speeding was correlated with better immediate visuospatial recall (r=.48, p=.015) and delayed visuospatial recall (r=.42, p=.038). By contrast, driving unbelted was correlated with poorer executive function (r=-.48, p=.013), and cellphone use was correlated with poorer processing speed (r=-.39, p=.047). Five clusters of driving behavior were identified: one with the riskiest driving, one with the least risky driving, and three with intermediate driving risk. The cluster that engaged in the riskiest driving had the greatest quantity and breadth of unsafe driving behaviors and had a weakness in basic attention on cognitive testing. The least risky driving cluster had weaknesses in immediate recall, processing speed, and working memory.

Conclusions:

In healthy adult drivers, relationships between cognition and driving are not linear. Cognitive weaknesses can be associated with risky driving or with less risky driving, potentially as a compensatory strategy. These novel findings linking cognition to specific driving behaviors offer a more detailed view of how cognition affects driving risk and may have implications for reducing risky driving in the general population. Cluster analysis results are preliminary given the small sample size of this study. We plan to expand this work to broader samples and clinical populations to increase generalizability and applicability to clinical driving evaluations.