Publication Abstract Display
Type: Published Manuscript
Title: Visual attention deficits are associated with driving accidents in cognitively-impaired HIV-infected individuals.
Authors: Marcotte TD, Lazzaretto D, Scott JC, Roberts E, Woods SP, Letendre S, and the HNRC Group
Contact: Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, CA 92103, USA. tmarcotte@ucsd.edu
Year: 2006
Publication: Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology : official journal of the International Neuropsychological Society
Volume: 28 Issue: 1 Pages: 13-28
Abstract:The impact of visual attention deficits on real world functioning in HIV-infected (HIV +) individuals is not well understood. The Useful Field of View (UFOV), a computerized measure assessing processing speed (PS), divided attention (DA), and selective attention (SA), requires subjects to attend to central objects while remaining vigilant to objects in the periphery. Reduced UFOV has been associated with poor driving performance in the elderly and neurologic populations. The aim of the current study was to determine the relationship between attentional impairments and on-road driving performance within an HIV infected cohort. Sixty-four subjects (43 HIV+ and 21 HIV-), all of whom had driven an automobile in the last year, completed a neuropsychological (NP) battery, the UFOV and a driving history questionnaire. Twenty of the HIV+ participants were NP impaired, as was one HIV- participant. 10 subjects had a total of 19 accidents. Drivers identified as high risk by UFOV (n = 6, all HIV+) had a significantly higher number of acci- dents in the prior year, even after adjusting for miles driven (p = .02). Among HIV+ participants, UFOV, NP performance, and the interaction were significant predictors of accidents in the prior year (R2= .45). NP impaired/UFOV high risk subjects had the highest number of accidents. Poor performance on PS and DA were independently associated with recent accident history. These findings suggest that HIV+ individuals with significant impairments in processing speed and divided attention, particularly in the context of other NP dysfunction, may be at increased risk for automobile accidents.
Funding: NIMH:MH MH57593, NIMH:MH MH62512
Keywords: Accidents, Aviation, Adult, Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity, Cognition Disorders, Comparative Study, Female, HIV Infections, Humans, Likelihood Functions, Male, Middle Aged, Neuropsychological Tests, Psychometrics, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, Risk, Sensitivity and Specificity, Vision Disorders, Visual Fields

return to publications listing