Women, those with cognitive impairment and those who did worse on cognitive tests were more likely to stop driving, a new study shows. Additionally, the amount of amyloid plaques and tau tangles people had in their brains and spinal fluid did not predict if they would stop driving, according to a study published Wednesday in Neurology.
The study included data on 283 participants who were, on average, 72 years old. All of the people drove at least once a week. At the start of the study, the participants had cognitive tests. Every year, for an average of 5.6 years, the participants underwent cognitive tests. Researchers conducted brain scans and collected cerebrospinal fluid collected at the start of the study and then every two to three years.
Over the course of the study, 24 people stopped driving, 15 people died and 46 people developed cognitive impairment.
Among the people who stopped driving, nine people had a neurologic condition, four had significant vision changes, eight had general health issues, and three moved to an assisted living facility.
During the follow-up period, about one-third of all the participants met the criteria for preclinical Alzheimer’s based on levels of biomarkers for the disease — amyloid plaques and tau tangles — in the brain imaging and cerebrospinal fluid.
Of all the people involved in the study, 58% of women stopped driving compared to 42% of men. Of the 48 people who developed cognitive impairment, 27% stopped driving compared to 4% who did not develop cognitive impairment, and 30% of people with low cognitive test scores stopped driving compared to 7% of those with higher scores.
Women were four times more likely than men to stop driving, the data showed. People who met the criteria for cognitive impairment were 3.5 times more likely to stop driving than those with no cognitive issues. Those with lower scores on the cognitive tests were 30% more likely to stop driving than those with higher scores.
