Merlo Daniel, Ja Johnson, Foong Yi Chao, Zhu Chao, Gresle Melissa, Kalincik Tomas, Lechner-Scott Jeannette, Kilpatrick Trevor, Barnett Michael, Taylor Bruce, Buzzard Katherine, Darby David, Butzkueven Helmut, van der Walt Anneke
Department of Neuroscience, School of Translational Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Department of Neurology, Alfred Health, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Mult Scler. 2025 Apr;31(5):595-606. doi: 10.1177/13524585251329035. Epub 2025 Apr 1.
Monitoring of cognition in multiple sclerosis (MS) is critical. Traditional cognitive testing is resource intensive and insensitive to subtle changes. Digital tests could address this need; however, their long-term usability remains unexplored.
To determine the long-term acceptability and feasibility of digital cognitive measures in MS.
Participants with relapsing or secondary progressive MS were prospectively enrolled. MSReactor, a web-based test evaluating processing speed, attention and working memory, was performed 6-monthly for up to 36 months. Patient acceptability, anxiety, depression and quality of life were collected concurrently. Correlations between test acceptability, psychosocial measures, physical disability and cognition were analysed using Spearman's correlation.
This study included participants with complete data at 12 ( = 601), 24 ( = 280) and 36 ( = 317) months. Attrition after 12 months was low (3.5%). Acceptability of MSReactor was high, although interest and enjoyment decreased slightly. Minor correlations were observed between reduced acceptability and increased anxiety, depression and disability and lower quality of life.
Long-term cognitive monitoring was highly acceptable. We identified characteristics, such as increased anxiety, that were associated with reduced acceptability. Patients with these characteristics may benefit from support to maintain monitoring. These findings underscore the potential for integrating such tools into MS care.
对多发性硬化症（MS）患者的认知功能进行监测至关重要。传统的认知测试资源消耗大，且对细微变化不敏感。数字测试可以满足这一需求；然而，其长期可用性仍有待探索。
确定数字认知测量方法在MS患者中的长期可接受性和可行性。
前瞻性纳入复发型或继发进展型MS患者。使用MSReactor（一种基于网络的评估处理速度、注意力和工作记忆的测试），每6个月进行一次测试，最长持续36个月。同时收集患者的可接受性、焦虑、抑郁和生活质量数据。使用Spearman相关性分析测试可接受性、心理社会指标、身体残疾和认知之间的相关性。
本研究纳入了在12个月（n = 601）、24个月（n = 280）和36个月（n = 317）时有完整数据的参与者。12个月后的失访率较低（3.5%）。MSReactor的可接受性较高，尽管兴趣和愉悦感略有下降。在可接受性降低与焦虑、抑郁和残疾增加以及生活质量降低之间观察到轻微的相关性。
长期认知监测具有很高的可接受性。我们确定了一些与可接受性降低相关的特征，如焦虑增加。具有这些特征的患者可能会从维持监测的支持中受益。这些发现强调了将此类工具整合到MS护理中的潜力。
