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The Multiple Sclerosis Performance Test (MSPT): An iPad-Based Disability Assessment Tool
Published on: June 30, 2014
Quantitative measures detect sensory and motor impairments in multiple sclerosis
Scott D Newsome1, Joseph I Wang, Jonathan Y Kang
1Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Journal of the Neurological Sciences
|April 5, 2011
Summary
Quantitative tools precisely measure sensorimotor deficits in multiple sclerosis (MS), detecting impairments missed by standard scales. These advanced methods offer improved sensitivity for MS disability assessment.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Rehabilitation Medicine
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Multiple sclerosis (MS) assessment often relies on clinical judgment, potentially lacking precision.
- Quantitative devices offer a more objective and precise method for evaluating MS-related dysfunction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify lower extremity sensorimotor measures in individuals with MS.
- To evaluate the ability of these measures to detect functional system impairments.
- To determine the relationship between quantitative measures and global disability scores in MS.
Main Methods:
- Tested 145 MS patients and 58 controls using quantitative devices for vibration thresholds (Vibratron-II) and strength (hand-held dynamometer).
- Collected data on Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) and Timed 25-Foot Walk (T25FW).
- Employed statistical analyses including t-tests, Wilcoxon-rank sum, Spearman correlations, and stepwise linear regression.
Main Results:
- Poorer vibration sensation correlated with higher EDSS scores in relapsing-remitting MS.
- Ankle/hip strength changes significantly correlated with EDSS progression in progressive MS.
- Quantitative measures demonstrated higher sensitivity, identifying impairments in 32% of MS subjects with normal functional system scores (FSS).
Conclusions:
- Clinically accessible quantitative tools can effectively measure sensory and motor deficits in MS, differentiating between subtypes.
- These quantitative sensorimotor measures are more sensitive than FSS derived from the EDSS.
- The tools show potential for use as clinical outcome measures in MS practice and clinical trials for neurorehabilitative and neuroreparative interventions.
