Researchers at the University of Iowa (UI), led by Jeffrey Dawson, have developed a new series of cognitive tests that help an Alzheimer’s patient, his or her family, and physician determine when is the best time to put the brakes on driving with as little conflict or bruised egos as possible.

The medical community is diagnosing Alzheimer’s at earlier stages of disease and some patients are still well enough to drive safely for several years after diagnosis.  The UI cognitive tests may help patients accept the need to stop driving when the time comes or help families understand their loved one is still safe behind the wheel.

As reported in the journal, ‘Nature,’ the research team enlisted 40 drivers suspected of having Alzheimer’s disease and 115 who were elderly but still healthy neurologically.  Each driver went through a series of tests to evaluate cognitive, motor, and visual skills and then each one was accompanied by a research assistant as the study participant drove a 35-mile course for performance evaluation.

Drivers who made more mistakes on the cognitive tests made more mistakes driving, too.  Those suspected of Alzheimer’s disease had a mistake rate about 25% higher than the other drivers.