Driving after brain injury: Does dual-task modality matter?

• Published in: NeuroRehabilitation (Reading, Mass.) Vol. 42; no. 2; pp. 213 - 222
• Main Authors: Vickers, Kayci L., Schultheis, Maria T., Manning, Kevin J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01.01.2018; IOS Press BV
• Subjects: Brain injury; Cognitive ability; Computer applications; Traumatic brain injury; CVA (cerebrovascular accident); automobile driving,cognition; chronic; Brain injuries; TBI (traumatic brain injury)
• DOI: 10.3233/NRE-172301
• ISSN: 1053-8135

BACKGROUND: Virtual reality technology allows neuropsychologists to examine complex, real-world behaviors with high ecological validity and can provide an understanding of the impact of demanding dual-tasks on driving performance. OBJECTIVE: We hypothesized that a task imposing high cognitive and physical demands (coin-sorting) would result in the greatest reduction in driving maintenance performance. METHODS: Twenty participants with acquired brain injury and 28 healthy controls were included in the current study. All participants were licensed and drove regularly. Participants completed two standardized VRDS drives: (1) a baseline drive with no distractions, and (2) the same route with three, counterbalanced dual-tasks representing differing demands. RESULTS: A series of 3 (Task)×2 (Group) ANOVAs revealed that the ABI group tended to go slower than the HC group in the presence of a dual-task, F (1, 111) = 6.24, p = 0.01. Importantly, the ABI group also showed greater variability in speed, F (1, 110) = 10.97, p < 0.01, and lane position, F (1, 108) = 7.81, p < 0.01, an effect driven by dual-tasks with both a cognitive and motor demand. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that long-term driving difficulties following ABI are subtle and likely due to reduced cognitive resources.