Slowed Driving Reaction Time in Preclinical Alzheimer's Disease.

Summary: Scientists are looking at how early brain changes affect driving. In a recent study, researchers used a driving simulator to test older adults. They compared healthy drivers to those with "preclinical" Alzheimer's—meaning the disease has started in the brain, but obvious memory loss hasn't hit yet.

The drivers had to react to a sudden crash on the screen. The results showed that drivers with early Alzheimer's took significantly longer to hit the brakes compared to the healthy group, specifically when they were just driving without other distractions. This suggests that slower reaction times behind the wheel could be an early warning sign of the disease.