Neuropsychiatric Symptoms and Alzheimer’s Disease Biomarkers Predict Driving Decline: Brief Report

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Babulal, Ganesh M.^{a; b; *} | Stout, Sarah H.^{a; b} | Head, Denise^{a; d; e} | Holtzman, David M.^{a; b; c} | Fagan, Anne M.^{a; b; c} | Morris, John C.^{a; b; c; f; g; h} | Roe, Catherine M.^{a; b}

Affiliations: [a] Knight Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA | [b] Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA | [c] Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA | [d] Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA | [e] Department of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA | [f] Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA | [g] Department of Physical Therapy, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA | [h] Department of Occupational Therapy, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA

Correspondence: [*] Correspondence to: Ganesh M. Babulal, 660 S. Euclid Ave., Campus Box 8111, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA. Tel.: +1 952 334 8536; E-mail: babulalg@neuro.wustl.edu.

Abstract: We examined whether neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) interact with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers (amyloid-β42 [Aβ42], tau, phosphorylated tau181 [ptau181], tau/Aβ42, and ptau181/Aβ42) of Alzheimer’s disease pathology to predict driving decline among cognitively-normal older adults (N = 116) aged ≥65. Cox proportional hazards models examined time to receiving a rating of marginal or fail on the driving test. Age, education, and gender were adjusted in the models. Participants with more abnormal CSF (Aβ42, tau/Aβ42, ptau181/Aβ42) and NPS were faster to receive a marginal/fail on the road test compared to those without NPS. NPS interact with abnormal CSF biomarkers to impact driving performance among cognitively-normal older adults.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, cerebrospinal fluid, depression, neuropsychology, noncognitive outcomes, preclinical

DOI: 10.3233/JAD-170067

Journal: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 58, no. 3, pp. 675-680, 2017