Schedule of Events | Search Abstracts | Invited Symposia | Symposia | Poster Sessions | Data Blitz

Driving after Stroke: Left and Right Hemisphere Strokes Create Different Problems

Poster Session F - Tuesday, March 10, 2026, 8:00 – 10:00 am PDT, Fairview/Kitsilano Ballroom

Krista Schendel¹, Timothy Herron, Brian Curran, Maria Spinelli, Joanne Houston, Sandy Lwi, Juliana Baldo; ¹Veterans Affairs NCHCS

Driving is a complex task that involves several cognitive and sensorimotor processes. Strokes can create a range of impairments depending on the size and location of the affected brain tissue. While many neuroimaging studies have focused on brain regions that are important for different cognitive functions, few have targeted the specific problems that can arise when driving after stroke. We investigated driving after stroke using a fully interactive driving simulator which captured driving performance in terms of the different types of errors that were committed during a simulated driving assessment. We assessed 30 individuals with left hemisphere stroke and 28 with right hemisphere stroke. We then used available MRI scans to reconstruct stroke-related tissue damage, resulting in over thirty reconstructed brain lesions. Driving errors involving speed management, lane positioning, vehicle collisions, and stop signs were then analyzed as a function of lesion load, cerebral hemisphere, and proportion of white matter damage. Results revealed that problems in speed management were more prominent following damage to the left hemisphere. In contrast, greater problems maintaining lane position were significantly associated with overall lesion load, particularly within the right hemisphere, and with a greater degree of white matter involvement. Preliminary results additionally suggest that the right insular region may be important for monitoring lane position. Together, these results suggest that driving rehabilitation programs for stroke survivors should be tailored according to the cerebral hemisphere affected as well as the proportion of white matter involved.

Topic Area: PERCEPTION & ACTION: Vision