Randomized trial evaluates cognitive performance in multiple sclerosis using smartphone assessments, suggesting clinical relevance.
Key Points
The aim is to assess the impact of practice effects on smartphone-derived cognitive processing speed tests in multiple sclerosis and their relationship with disease severity.
Evaluated cognitive function in multiple sclerosis patients and healthy controls at baseline and five-year follow-up.
Employed two-part piecewise linear regression on daily smartphone SDMT scores to model practice effects.
Compared outcomes across cognitive impairment and preservation groups using ANCOVA and correlated findings with clinical outcomes and brain volumes.
80% of healthy controls and all groups showed a practice plateau in sSDMT scores.
Cognitive impairment group had a higher % increase in practice effects (22.0%) compared to the cognitive preservation group (15.5%), p = 0.004.
Practice effects were more strongly associated with disability and brain volumes than baseline sSDMT scores.