Date of Award

Summer 2023

Document Type

Open Access Thesis

Department

Exercise Science

First Advisor

Troy Herter

Abstract

Driving is a complex skill involving the interaction of various brain functions, making it challenging to determine the independent contributions of each process to driving proficiency. While past studies have identified assessments such as the Useful Field of View Test (UFOV) and the Trial Making Test (TMT) as strong predictors for driving skills, little research has explored the impact of visual search and movement inhibition on driving after stroke. This cross-sectional study includes participants between the ages of 21 to 80 years with residual disability caused by a unilateral middle cerebral artery stroke at least six months prior. The participants undergo various visuomotor and functional object detection tasks using the KINARM with EyeLink 1000. Bivariate regression analysis is employed to identify relevant predictor measures related to driving proficiency. Subsequently, multiple regression models are used to determine which predictor measures independently predict driving performance post-stroke. The results indicate that measures of eye fixations and distractors avoided show the strongest association with driving performance, supporting the hypothesis that visual search and movement inhibition abilities are significant predictors of driving after stroke. Further exploration of the relationship between these predictor measures and their potential ability to enhance the understanding of driving impairments post-stroke.

Rights

© 2023, Halle Elise Prine

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