Neuropsychological performance, brain imaging, and driving violations in multiple sclerosis.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the relationship between third ventricular width, a measure of thalamic brain atrophy, and motor vehicle violation type and frequency in a cohort of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).


DESIGN
Retrospective cohort study.


SETTING
Tertiary care university hospital.


PARTICIPANTS
Thirty-five individuals with clinically confirmed relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis and 35 age-, sex-, and education-matched community-dwelling healthy comparisons (N=70). Participants were aged between 25 and 65 years.


INTERVENTIONS
Not applicable.


MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Data on motor vehicle violations were obtained from an online database (Iowa Courts Online). The violations were categorized as follows: (1) speeding, (2) nonmoving safety, (3) administrative, (4) alcohol-related offense, (5) moving safety, and (6) total violations. Neuropsychological performance in all major cognitive domains was obtained. Thalamic atrophy for the patients with MS was determined via third ventricular width measurement.


RESULTS
The MS group had a greater number of overall violations, administrative violations, and nonmoving safety violations. The groups differed on neuropsychological tasks measuring visuospatial skills, speeded language, learning, and executive functioning, after controlling for affective symptoms. Third ventricular width was associated with total violations as well as moving safety violations. Finally, third ventricular width accounted for a significant variance in driving violation frequency above and beyond demographic variables and neuropsychological factors.


CONCLUSIONS
There is an increased frequency of motor vehicle violations among patients with multiple sclerosis, and the number of violations can be predicted by thalamic brain atrophy.
['Dehning|Meaghan|M|', 'Kim|Jinsuh|J|', 'Nguyen|Christopher M|CM|', 'Shivapour|Ezzatollah|E|', 'Denburg|Natalie L|NL|']
D000328:Adult D000368:Aged D001284:Atrophy D001334:Automobile Driving D016022:Case-Control Studies D056344:Executive Function D005260:Female D006801:Humans D007858:Learning D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging D008297:Male D008606:Mental Processes D008875:Middle Aged D009103:Multiple Sclerosis D059906:Neuroimaging D009483:Neuropsychological Tests D012189:Retrospective Studies D012449:Safety D013028:Space Perception D020542:Third Ventricle
Neuropsychology Multiple sclerosis Automobile driving Rehabilitation