A - 112 Subjective and Objective Cognition in Patients Driving with Multiple Sclerosis.

Abstract

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease of the central nervous system that results in focal lesions of demyelination, inflammation, and axonal damage to the brain and spinal cord. MS affects nearly one million people in the United States. Drivers with MS have been characterized by shorter disease durations, milder disabilities and greater awareness of their deficits compared to non-drivers. Cognitive function can impact MS patients' driving abilities, specifically their processing speed, attention and visuospatial deficiencies. This study evaluates whether subjective cognitive decline (SCD) can predict objective cognitive functioning to improve identification of patients at risk for impaired driving. All participants were patients at an MS Center, and had a diagnosis of MS based on the McDonald criteria. One hundred and eight MS patients were included in the study, and all participants completed the symbol digit modality test (SDMT). The majority of patients were female (75.9%), and only 19.4% of study participants reported having SCD that impact their driving ability. Participants with poorer processing speed had endorsed cognitive difficulties impacting their driving, U = 503.00, p = 0.001. Results suggest that slower SDMT scores may likely predict SCD. Patients with MS with poorer processing speed were also likely to report a SCD, and had a higher incidence rate of motor vehicle accidents. This relationship needs to be further assessed to aid in the safety of patients of MS and understanding if barriers such as lack of social support or work obligations that require them to continue driving.