Cognitive and motor deficits contribute to longer braking time in stroke.

BACKGROUND: Braking is a critical determinant of safe driving that depends on the integrity of cognitive and motor processes. Following stroke, both cognitive and motor capabilities are impaired to varying degrees. The current study examines the combined impact of cognitive and motor impairments on braking time in chronic stroke. METHODS: Twenty stroke survivors and 20 aged-matched healthy controls performed cognitive, motor, and simulator driving assessments. Cognitive abilities were assessed with processing speed, divided attention, and selective attention. Motor abilities were assessed with maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) and motor accuracy of the paretic ankle. Driving performance was examined with the braking time in a driving simulator and self-reported driving behavior. RESULTS: Braking time was 16% longer in the stroke group compared with the control group. The self-reported driving behavior in stroke group was correlated with braking time (r = - 0.53, p = 0.02). The stroke group required significantly longer time for divided and selective attention tasks and showed significant decrease in motor accuracy. Together, selective attention time and motor accuracy contributed to braking time (R2 = 0.40, p = 0.01) in stroke survivors. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides novel evidence that decline in selective attention and motor accuracy together contribute to slowed braking in stroke survivors. Driving rehabilitation after stroke may benefit from the assessment and training of attentional and motor skills to improve braking during driving.

Setting boundaries: Utilization of time to boundary for objective evaluation of the balance error scoring system.

Subjective evaluations of balance performance, like the modified Balance Error Scoring System (mBESS), are highly popular. Alternatively, quantitative measures may offer additional clarity in identifying balance dysfunction. A novel measure to define balance impairments is time to boundary (TTB), which represents the amount of time available to make corrective postural adjustments prior to the centre of pressure (CoP) reaching the edge of the base of support. The purpose of this investigation was to assess TTB and traditional measures of CoP displacement of young adults performing the mBESS on a BTrackS balance plate. Path length and TTB were calculated in anterior-posterior (AP) and medio-lateral (ML) directions, respectively. AP and ML path lengths were largest in Single stance (109.2 & 118.1 cm, respectively) and smallest in Dual stance (27.1 & 36.4 cm, respectively). The average AP and ML TTBs were higher in Dual (10.67 & 7.27 s, respectively) compared to Single (3.54 & 1.20 s, respectively) or Tandem (10.11 & 1.94 s, respectively) stances, and lower in Single stance compared to Tandem. Given the effect sizes for TTB were greater than those of path length in both directions, TTB more adequately differentiates these stance conditions than path length or subjective scores.