TY  - JOUR
AU  - Hsu, Wan-Yu
AU  - Rowles, William
AU  - Anguera, Joaquin A
AU  - Anderson, Annika
AU  - Younger, Jessica W
AU  - Friedman, Samuel
AU  - Gazzaley, Adam
AU  - Bove, Riley
PY  - 2021
DA  - 2021/12/30
TI  - Assessing Cognitive Function in Multiple Sclerosis With Digital Tools: Observational Study
JO  - J Med Internet Res
SP  - e25748
VL  - 23
IS  - 12
KW  - cognition
KW  - digital health
KW  - mHealth
KW  - multiple sclerosis
KW  - cognitive assessment
AB  - Background: Cognitive impairment (CI) is one of the most prevalent symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS). However, it is difficult to include cognitive assessment as part of MS standard care since the comprehensive neuropsychological examinations are usually time-consuming and extensive. Objective: To improve access to CI assessment, we evaluated the feasibility and potential assessment sensitivity of a tablet-based cognitive battery in patients with MS. Methods: In total, 53 participants with MS (24 [45%] with CI and 29 [55%] without CI) and 24 non-MS participants were assessed with a tablet-based cognitive battery (Adaptive Cognitive Evaluation [ACE]) and standard cognitive measures, including the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) and the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT). Associations between performance in ACE and the SDMT/PASAT were explored, with group comparisons to evaluate whether ACE modules can capture group-level differences. Results: Correlations between performance in ACE and the SDMT (R=–0.57, P<.001), as well as PASAT (R=–0.39, P=.01), were observed. Compared to non-MS and non-CI MS groups, the CI MS group showed a slower reaction time (CI MS vs non-MS: P<.001; CI MS vs non-CI MS: P=.004) and a higher attention cost (CI MS vs non-MS: P=.02; CI MS vs non-CI MS: P<.001). Conclusions: These results provide preliminary evidence that ACE, a tablet-based cognitive assessment battery, provides modules that could potentially serve as a digital cognitive assessment for people with MS. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03569618; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03569618 
SN  - 1438-8871
UR  - https://www.jmir.org/2021/12/e25748
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/25748
UR  - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34967751
DO  - 10.2196/25748
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/25748
ER  -