Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.
Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, USA.
Sci Rep. 2024 Jun 19;14(1):14174. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-63663-y.
Maintaining driving independence is important for older adults. However, cognitive decline, a common issue in older populations, can impair older adults' driving abilities and overall safety on the roads. This study explores how cognitive impairment influences driving patterns and driving choices among older adults. We analyzed real-world driving patterns of 246 older adults using GPS dataloggers. Our sample included 230 cognitively normal older adults (CN; Clinical Dementia Rating [CDR] = 0) and 16 older adults with incident cognitive impairment (ICI; CDR = 0.5). The CN group had an average age of 68.2 years, with 46% females and an average of 16.5 years of education, while the ICI group's average age was 69.2 years, with 36% females and an average of 16.0 years of education. We employed spatial clustering and hashing algorithms to evaluate driving behaviours. Significant differences emerged: The ICI group used fewer distinct routes to their most common destination. These differences can be leveraged to develop driving as a digital biomarker for the early detection and continuous monitoring of cognitive impairment.
保持驾驶独立性对老年人很重要。然而，认知能力下降是老年人中常见的问题，会损害老年人的驾驶能力和道路整体安全。本研究探讨了认知障碍如何影响老年人的驾驶模式和驾驶选择。我们使用 GPS 数据记录器分析了 246 名老年人的真实驾驶模式。我们的样本包括 230 名认知正常的老年人（CN；临床痴呆评定量表[CDR] = 0）和 16 名患有认知障碍的老年人（ICI；CDR = 0.5）。CN 组的平均年龄为 68.2 岁，女性占 46%，平均受教育年限为 16.5 年，而 ICI 组的平均年龄为 69.2 岁，女性占 36%，平均受教育年限为 16.0 年。我们采用空间聚类和哈希算法来评估驾驶行为。研究结果显示出显著差异：ICI 组前往最常去目的地的不同路线明显减少。这些差异可用于开发驾驶行为作为认知障碍的早期检测和持续监测的数字生物标志物。
