Neurology

Daily driving patterns may signal early cognitive decline in older adults

December 3, 2025

In the prospective DRIVES cohort of 298 older drivers (mean age, 75 years) monitored for up to 40 months, those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) showed greater declines in trip frequency, nighttime driving, and spatial mobility than cognitively normal peers. Driving features such as trip distance, speeding events, and spatial entropy differentiated MCI from normal cognition (area under the curve, 0.82), improving to 0.87 with demographics and APOE ε4. Findings are limited by a homogeneous sample and lack of external validation.

Clinical takeaway: Continuous monitoring of driving behaviors may complement traditional cognitive assessments in aging populations.

Source:

Chen L, et al. (2025, December 23). Neurology. Association of Daily Driving Behaviors With Mild Cognitive Impairment in Older Adults Followed Over 10 Years. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41296993/