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Biography |
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Biographical Sketch
Professor José León-Carrión, Ph.D., Department Chair
Human Neuropsychology Laboratory, Department of Experimental Psychology
University of Seville, Spain.
Consultant, Dept.of Research, Development and Innovation
Center for Brain Injury Rehabilitation (C.RE.CER), Seville, Spain
Fax: +34 954 57 0345 Phone: +34 95 455 7688 e-mail: leoncarrion@us.es
José León-Carrión is professor and Chair of Neuropsychology and Director of the Human Neuropsychology Laboratory at the University of Seville. He is also Director of the Research, Development and Innovation Department at the Center for Brain Injury Rehabilitation (C.RE.CER.) in Seville, Spain. He studied at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, receiving a BA Degree in Philosophy and a Ph.D. in Psychology.
He is a founder and member of the World Academy for Multidisciplinary Neurotraumatology and a member of the European Brain Injury Society (EBIS), and former Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee of the International Brain Injury Association (IBIA). He is a reviewer and consultant for the U.S. Department of Defense Traumatic Brain Injury Grant Program. He has participated in conferences world-wide. Professor León-Carrión is a member of various journal editorial boards in his field and is recognized for his work in neurorehabilitation and his authorship of neuropsychology textbooks, books and articles related to brain injury assessment and rehabilitation of. He is also an international expert on consciousness studies and rehabilitation and treatment of patients in coma, vegetative state, minimal conscious state, locked -in syndrome and severe neurocognitive disorders. He is the recipient of numerous awards in recognition of his outstanding achievement as an expert in the field of neuropsychological rehabilitation.
To facilitate neuropsychological assessment, he has developed various tools: the Computerized Sevilla Neuropsychological Test Battery for the assessment of frontal patients, Luria’s Memory Words-Revised Test, the Neurologically-related Changes of Personality Inventory (NECHAPI), and the Neuropsychological Clinical Evaluation of Aphasia Puebla-Sevilla.
Professor León-Carrión has also developed methodologies for the assessment and intervention of patients in vegetative state, minimal conscious state and low-level states. He has also developed activities designed to aid in the rehabilitation of disabled individuals, in order to increase their social equity and improve their quality of life.
Over the past 35 years, Professor León-Carrión has developed a solid and extensive scientific career in rehabilitation and brain injury, both nationally and internationally, publishing extensively in specialized journals and books, as well as being a principal and co-investigator in numerous studies on TBI rehabilitation.
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Abstract |
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Safe Driving and Brain Functions in Middle-Aged and Older Drivers |
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ABSTRACT
Road traffic safety has become a global concern in recent years, with accident-related deaths reaching an alarming 1.25 million in 2015. The introduction of the point system driver’s license in several European countries could offer a valid framework for evaluating driving skills and their effect on mortality and morbidity. This is the first study to assess the functional integrity of brain functions in middle-aged and older drivers with full points, partial points or no points on their driver’s license (N=270). The purpose of this study is to find differences in brain functions that could be determinants in safe driving. Cognitive tests were used to assess attention processes, processing speed, planning, cognitive flexibility, and inhibitory control. Analyses for covariance (ANCOVAS) were used for group comparisons while adjusting for education level. The Bonferroni method was used for correcting for multiple comparisons. Our results showed that drivers with full points had better scores than the other two groups. This study also showed the behavioral impact of impaired executive functioning on driving ability. Drivers with more experience resolved tasks more slowly, but more efficiently, than those with less driving experience. These older, experienced drivers may be slower at making a decision, but they improved their problem solving. This supports findings that older, more experience drivers, detected potential dangers (hazard perception) sooner than younger drivers. The study design could be applied to driving simulations using electroencephalography, to decipher which brain states and cognitive abilities impact on driving safety. Further research could also compare executive functions in drivers with repeated point loss on their license to drivers with a clean driving record. The detection of at risk drivers prior to obtaining their license could have strong social and economic repercussions, and improve road safety. Differences in reaction time on attention tasks could serve as neuropsychological markers for safe driving.
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