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UI Researchers Study Parkinson's Victims' Driving By Kristen Schorsch Iowa City Press-Citizen Saturday, March 27, 2004 Jack Sanders' upper body trembles. He has trouble tying his shoes and buttoning his shirts. Sanders was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease four years ago. And someday, he thinks his disease might cause him to be a risk to himself and others on the road. "I could see in the future it could very easily happen," said Sanders, 81, of Iowa City. Sanders is one of 115 people with Parkinson's disease involved in a University of Iowa study to predict the driver safety of people with the disease. No clear guidelines exist, said Ergun Uc, a University of Iowa assistant professor of neurology who is leading a team of eight researchers for the study. "It's a relatively common disease, and it's a disease people live with for quite a number of years," Uc said. "But at some point, they become unsafe to drive and that point is not clear." Parkinson's disease is the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer's disease, according to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. The disease affects memory, attention and decision-making skills of as many as one million people nationwide. Most cases begin after age 50, and with age comes an increasing chance of getting the disease, according to the institute. Despite its high occurrence, Lucy Sargent, director of communications for the Parkinson's Disease Foundation based in New York, said she is unaware of a study that has been conducted about driving safety and the disease. UI's study, using a five-year, $1.6 million grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, will enroll 115 people with mild to moderate cases of Parkinson's disease and follow each patient for three years, Uc said. UI researchers also will test the driving skills of 115 people who do not have the disease. A pilot study conducted with 24 patients last year earned researchers the grant. During the latest study, which is planned to begin in April, patients will come for yearly visits, drive a simulated vehicle, drive a vehicle on the road fitted with cameras, monitors and computers that record drivers' responses, and undergo mental and visual tests. The simulator is a 1994 Saturn located in University Hospitals with a removed power train and motor, said Matthew Rizzo, a UI professor of neurology and researcher for the study. To find out how well the patients drive on the road, researchers will examine Department of Transportation records for the number of crashes and moving violations the patients have during the three-year period, Uc said. SOURCE: Iowa City Press Citizen, IA http://www.press-citizen.com/news/032704study.htm * * * ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn