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Novel Device Measures Function with Finger and Foot Tapping – Further Study Planned

February 27, 2020

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego report that a novel device combining several sensors was able to measure function, correlating strongly with the EDSS, the standard measure of disability progression in MS. Participants wore a small band on the forearm or calf, then completed 20 finger or foot taps. Data from multiple sensors, measuring acceleration, rotation, and nerve impulse activity, was then downloaded to a computer. The procedure was repeated on all four limbs, taking less than five minutes. The team is conducting further studies that will determine the device’s ability to track changes over time, and also is seeking to develop software allowing for widespread use. Finding more sensitive measures to track disease progression more quickly is a priority for improving clinical care and conducting clinical trials in progressive MS.

Read more from the UC San Diego Health

Read the paper in the Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology

About Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system. Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis, and there is currently no cure for MS. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are leading to better understanding and moving us closer to a world free of MS. An estimated 1 million people live with MS in the United States. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, and it affects women three times more than men.

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