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Updated: May 21, 2026

The Multiple Sclerosis Performance Test (MSPT): An iPad-Based Disability Assessment Tool

The Multiple Sclerosis Performance Test (MSPT): An iPad-Based Disability Assessment Tool

Published on: June 30, 2014

Natural, innate improvements in multiple sclerosis disability.

Helen Tremlett¹, Feng Zhu, John Petkau

¹Faculty of Medicine, Division of Neurology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada. helen.tremlett@ubc.ca

Multiple Sclerosis (Houndmills, Basingstoke, England)

|June 28, 2012

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Improvements in multiple sclerosis (MS) disability occur more often than previously thought, even in patients not taking medication. These "innate improvements" are common over one to two years and should be considered in MS research.

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Area of Science:

Neurology
Clinical Research
Epidemiology

Background:

Recent studies show disability improvements in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients on immunomodulatory drugs (IMDs).
Improvements in MS disability among treatment-naive patients or in natural history studies are less understood.
This study investigates disability improvements in IMD-naive MS patients in British Columbia.

Purpose of the Study:

To determine the frequency and characteristics of disability improvements in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients not receiving immunomodulatory drugs (IMDs).
To examine annual and biennial changes in Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) scores.
To identify patient factors associated with disability improvement.

Main Methods:

Utilized the British Columbia MS database (1980-2009) for definite MS patients.
Analyzed consecutive IMD-free Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) scores one and two years apart.
Employed logistic regression to assess the influence of patient characteristics on improvements.

Main Results:

14.9% of yearly intervals showed a ≥0.5 point EDSS improvement, with nearly half sustained.
Disability worsening was more frequent than improvement (32.9% for ≥0.5 points).
Improvements were associated with female sex, younger age, shorter disease duration, relapsing-onset MS, moderate disability, and prior worsening episodes.

Conclusions:

Disability improvements in multiple sclerosis (MS) over one to two years are not uncommon in patients not on medication.
The term "innate improvements" is proposed for these naturally occurring disability reductions.
Findings impact the design of clinical trials and observational studies in MS, emphasizing the need to account for spontaneous improvements.