HOME >> MEDICINE >> NEWS
Road skills hint at 'motion blindness' of Alzheimer's

Doctors have added to the evidence that patients with Alzheimers disease lose their way not simply because their memory is failing but because they are subject to a unique form of brain damage that causes symptoms doctors call motion blindness. Some of the new data comes from driving tests of a small number of patients, where researchers have linked the condition to the loss of one specific driving skill: the ability to stay in ones lane while driving.

While its obvious that people with Alzheimers disease are losing their memory, thats only part of the reason why they become lost, says neurologist Charles Duffy, M.D., Ph.D., who leads the research team at the University of Rochester Medical Center. These patients also lose their ability to perceive their own motion. Thats ultimately what puts them at much greater risk than others of becoming lost.

In the current study, the team studied 26 elderly patients with Alzheimers disease, 50 healthy elderly adults, and 32 healthy young adults. Scientists performed a variety of tests to measure participants vision and ability to perceive motion, and then put the Alzheimers patients who were still driving through a standard New York State driving test.

As in previous studies, older patients had more difficulty with memory than younger patients, and among older patients, Alzheimers patients had a much harder time detecting motion than their healthy counterparts.

In addition, the 11 Alzheimers patients who were still able to drive took the driving test: They performed adequately on all aspects of the test except the portion that measures their own knowledge of their location on the road. They tended to drift out of their lane, either across the middle or to the right, and they had difficulty knowing how close or far away they were from the car in front of them.

These people werent just bad drivers. They were bad drivers in a particular way, says Duffy. They couldnt judge where they we
'"/>

Contact: Tom Rickey
trickey@admin.rochester.edu
585-275-7954
University of Rochester Medical Center
31-Jan-2002


Page: 1 2 3 4

Related medicine news :

1. Stem cells repair skills might be link to cancer
2. Universit de Montral study shows superior sound-location skills in the blind
3. Autistic children show outstanding musical skills
4. Concord grape juice improved memory and neuro-motor skills in animal study
5. Class on psychological skills helps college athletes perform better, study finds
6. Learning skills greatly limits stress for family caregivers, says Stanford study
7. Phone support group helps older people with HIV/AIDS develop coping skills, new study finds
8. Adopting some osteopathic traits might help M.D.s boost their patient communication skills
9. New research says better social skills not nicotine patches help smokers quit
10. Rutgers researcher: Brains in dyslexic children can be rewired to improve reading skills
11. Right side of brain learns language skills after stroke

Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
TAG: Road skills hint motion blindness Alzheimer

(Date:5/25/2013)... great companions for senior citizens, but elderly people who always ... likely to crash than those who never drive with a ... licensed drivers aged 70 and older. The nearly 700 participants ... their pet in the car. Among those who always ... high as among those who never drove with their pet. ...
(Date:5/25/2013)... (PRWEB) May 25, 2013 Providing patients with ... Diet Doc team of weight management professionals. But, aside from ... and effectively, Diet Doc’s hCG diets also provide ... abuse during childhood like bullying, more control over their lives ... of dealing with the underlying factors of weight gain derived ...
(Date:5/25/2013)... NY (PRWEB) May 25, 2013 ... problems, ranging from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) to ... are among the most long-lasting, embarrassing, frustrating and ... natural foods for digestive health have provided ... there are many factors contributing to digestive health ...
(Date:5/25/2013)... 2013 Many orthodontists have thought about ... exactly that cloud is. Most people would naturally ... to provide their cloud service and support would own ... service they're selling, they'd be wrong. Cloud providers ... secure, redundant facility that houses servers and related equipment ...
(Date:5/25/2013)... 25, 2013 The Slim Weight Patch has ... results. This is due to the highly sought after ingredients ... weight patch offers an extra 2 months supply & premium ... and get the body you desire faster than ever. , ... , With Slim weight patch consumers can observe instant ...
Breaking Medicine News(10 mins):Health News:Seniors More Likely to Crash When Driving With Pet: Study 2Health News:hCGTreatments / Diet Doc hCG Diets & Weight Loss Plans Announces hCG Diet Plans for Those Suffering from Abuse-Related Weight Gain 2Health News:hCGTreatments / Diet Doc hCG Diets & Weight Loss Plans Announces hCG Diet Plans for Those Suffering from Abuse-Related Weight Gain 3Health News:Natural Foods For Digestive Health Report and Video Published by BetterDigestion.org 2Health News:Cirrus Ortho Launches Cloud Computing for Orthodontic Industry That is Unlike Any Other 2Health News:Slim Weight Patch Advanced Weight Loss System Offers Extra Two Month Supply and Membership for Maximum Weight Loss 2
(Date:5/23/2013)... , May 23, 2013  The need to ... treatment continuum was highlighted prominently at the 108 ... Association (AUA), in San Diego.  According to SonaCare ... focused ultrasound (HIFU) technology, the need for image-guided ... for urologists to consider minimally invasive ablative treatments, ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... , May 23, 2013  Texas, premier physician associations ... doctors the survival tools they need to provide demonstrably ... today,s health care marketplace. "I am confident ... local practices," said Stephen L. Brotherton ... " Texas doctors are determined to ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... TARRYTOWN, N.Y. , May 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ ... reconstruction following mastectomy is an appropriate option ... mutations seeking to surgically reduce their breast cancer ... involves a gradual expansion process and a second ... of implants in the same surgery as mastectomy ...
Breaking Medicine Technology:Need for Image Guided Minimally Invasive Ablative Treatments Featured Prominently at American Urological Association (AUA) Annual Meeting 2Need for Image Guided Minimally Invasive Ablative Treatments Featured Prominently at American Urological Association (AUA) Annual Meeting 3Need for Image Guided Minimally Invasive Ablative Treatments Featured Prominently at American Urological Association (AUA) Annual Meeting 4Need for Image Guided Minimally Invasive Ablative Treatments Featured Prominently at American Urological Association (AUA) Annual Meeting 5Need for Image Guided Minimally Invasive Ablative Treatments Featured Prominently at American Urological Association (AUA) Annual Meeting 6TMA Launches Physician Services Organization for Patient Care 2TMA Launches Physician Services Organization for Patient Care 3TMA Launches Physician Services Organization for Patient Care 4Direct to Implant ("One Step") Mastectomy Breast Reconstruction Reduces Number of Surgeries and Time to Final Cosmetic Results 2Direct to Implant ("One Step") Mastectomy Breast Reconstruction Reduces Number of Surgeries and Time to Final Cosmetic Results 3
Cached News: