MISC

2012年9月

Regional Frontal Gray Matter Volume Associated with Executive Function Capacity as a Risk Factor for Vehicle Crashes in Normal Aging Adults

PLOS ONE
  • Hiroyuki Sakai
  • ,
  • Miwa Takahara
  • ,
  • Naomi F. Honjo
  • ,
  • Shun'ichi Doi
  • ,
  • Norihiro Sadato
  • ,
  • Yuji Uchiyama

7
9
開始ページ
1
終了ページ
6
記述言語
英語
掲載種別
DOI
10.1371/journal.pone.0045920
出版者・発行元
PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE

Although low executive functioning is a risk factor for vehicle crashes among elderly drivers, the neural basis of individual differences in this cognitive ability remains largely unknown. Here we aimed to examine regional frontal gray matter volume associated with executive functioning in normal aging individuals, using voxel-based morphometry (VBM). To this end, 39 community-dwelling elderly volunteers who drove a car on a daily basis participated in structural magnetic resonance imaging, and completed two questionnaires concerning executive functioning and risky driving tendencies in daily living. Consequently, we found that participants with low executive function capacity were prone to risky driving. Furthermore, VBM analysis revealed that lower executive function capacity was associated with smaller gray matter volume in the supplementary motor area (SMA). Thus, the current data suggest that SMA volume is a reliable predictor of individual differences in executive function capacity as a risk factor for vehicle crashes among elderly persons. The implication of our results is that regional frontal gray matter volume might underlie the variation in driving tendencies among elderly drivers. Therefore, detailed driving behavior assessments might be able to detect early neurodegenerative changes in the frontal lobe in normal aging adults.

リンク情報
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0045920
Web of Science
https://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcAuth=JSTA_CEL&SrcApp=J_Gate_JST&DestLinkType=FullRecord&KeyUT=WOS:000309388400136&DestApp=WOS_CPL
ID情報
  • DOI : 10.1371/journal.pone.0045920
  • ISSN : 1932-6203
  • Web of Science ID : WOS:000309388400136

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