Home-based, computer-assisted cognitive rehabilitation for attention in pediatric onset multiple sclerosis: a randomized, multicenter pilot study.

Objective: Cognitive impairment affects approximately 30% of pediatric onset Multiple Sclerosis (POMS) patients with a negative impact on everyday life. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of a home-based, computer-assisted training of attention in patients with POMS.

Methods: This was a randomized double-blind study.

Italian Version of the mHealth App Usability Questionnaire (Ita-MAUQ): Translation and Validation Study in People With Multiple Sclerosis.

Background: Telemedicine and mobile health (mHealth) apps have emerged as powerful tools in health care, offering convenient access to services and empowering participants in managing their health. Among populations with chronic and progressive disease such as multiple sclerosis (MS), mHealth apps hold promise for enhancing self-management and care. To be used in clinical practice, the validity and usability of mHealth tools should be tested.

A taxonomy of cognitive phenotypes in Multiple Sclerosis: a 1-year longitudinal study.

As meaningful measure of cognitive impairment (CI), cognitive phenotypes provide an avenue for symptom management and individualized rehabilitation. Since CI is highly variable in severity and progression, monitoring cognitive phenotypes over time may be useful to identify trajectory of cognitive decline in Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Based on cognitive and mood information from patient-reported outcomes (PROs) and clinician-assessed outcomes (CAOs), four cognitive subgroups of people with MS (PwMS) were identified: phenotype 1 (44.

Mobile Health App (DIGICOG-MS) for Self-Assessment of Cognitive Impairment in People With Multiple Sclerosis: Instrument Validation and Usability Study.

Background: Mobile health (mHealth) apps have proven useful for people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Thus, easy-to-use digital solutions are now strongly required to assess and monitor cognitive impairment, one of the most disturbing symptoms in MS that is experienced by almost 43% to 70% of people with MS. Therefore, we developed DIGICOG-MS (Digital assessment of Cognitive Impairment in Multiple Sclerosis), a smartphone- and tablet-based mHealth app to self-assess cognitive impairment in MS.

Testing Dynamic Balance in People with Multiple Sclerosis: A Correlational Study between Standard Posturography and Robotic-Assistive Device.

Background: Robotic devices are known to provide pivotal parameters to assess motor functions in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) as dynamic balance. However, there is still a lack of validation studies comparing innovative technologies with standard solutions. Thus, this study's aim was to compare the postural assessment of fifty people with MS (PwMS) during dynamic tasks performed with the gold standard EquiTest and the robotic platform hunova, using Center of Pressure (COP)-related parameters and global balance indexes.

Robotic systems for upper-limb rehabilitation in multiple sclerosis: a SWOT analysis and the synergies with virtual and augmented environments.

The robotics discipline is exploring precise and versatile solutions for upper-limb rehabilitation in Multiple Sclerosis (MS). People with MS can greatly benefit from robotic systems to help combat the complexities of this disease, which can impair the ability to perform activities of daily living (ADLs). In order to present the potential and the limitations of smart mechatronic devices in the mentioned clinical domain, this review is structured to propose a concise SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) Analysis of robotic rehabilitation in MS.

Evaluating Cognitive-Motor Interference in Multiple Sclerosis: A Technology-Based Approach.

Background: People with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) frequently present both cognitive and motor impairments, so it is reasonable to assume they may have difficulties in executing dual-tasks (DT). The aim of the present study is to identify novel technology-based parameters to assess cognitive-motor interference (CMI) in PwMS. In particular, we focused on the definition of dual-task cost (DTC) measures using wearable and portable tools such as insoles and mobile apps.

Profile and burden of the family caregiver: the caring experience in multiple sclerosis. An observational study.

Background: The broad implications of caring for a family member with a chronic medical condition, such as MS, can lead caregivers to experience a high burden of care. The aim of the study was to describe profile of MS caregivers and their burden and to explore potential factors influencing this burden.

Methods: 200 family caregivers of a person with MS completed survey questionnaires across a cross-sectional study.

The role of sensory systems in the association between balance and walking in people with multiple sclerosis.

Background: In Multiple Sclerosis, it has been demonstrated that balance is related to performances in walking tasks at different levels of complexity. However, it is unknown how the different sensory systems involved in balance control contribute to walking. This observational study investigates the associations between somatosensory, vestibular, and visual systems and measures of self-reported walking and walking capacity at different complexity levels (i.

Uncovering Subtle Gait Deterioration in People with Early-Stage Multiple Sclerosis Using Inertial Sensors: A 2-Year Multicenter Longitudinal Study.

Limited longitudinal studies have been conducted on gait impairment progression overtime in non-disabled people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS). Therefore, a deeper understanding of gait changes with the progression of the disease is essential. The objective of the present study was to describe changes in gait quality in PwMS with a disease duration ≤ 5 years, and to verify whether a change in gait quality is associated with a change in disability and perception of gait deterioration.

An Internet- and Kinect-Based Multiple Sclerosis Fitness Intervention Training With Pilates Exercises: Development and Usability Study.

Background: Balance impairments are common in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), with reduced ability to maintain position and delayed responses to postural adjustments. Pilates is a popular alternative method for balance training that may reduce the rapid worsening of symptoms and the increased risk of secondary conditions (eg, depression) that are frequently associated with physical inactivity.

Objective: In this paper, we aimed to describe the design, development, and usability testing of MS Fitness Intervention Training (MS-FIT), a Kinect-based tool implementing Pilates exercises customized for MS.

Soft Robotics to Enhance Upper Limb Endurance in Individuals with Multiple Sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disorder that affects the central nervous system and can result in various symptoms, including muscle weakness, spasticity, and fatigue, ultimately leading to the deterioration of the musculoskeletal system. However, in recent years, exosuits have emerged as a game-changing solution to assist individuals with MS during their daily activities. These lightweight and affordable wearable robotic devices have gained immense popularity.

The administration of the paper and electronic versions of the Manual Ability Measure-36 (MAM-36) and Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) is equivalent in people with multiple sclerosis.

Background: The mobile device diffusion has increasingly highlighted the opportunity to collect patient-reported outcomes (PROs) through electronic patient-reported outcomes measurements (ePROMs) during the clinical routine. Despite the ePROMs promises and advantages, the equivalence when a PRO measure is moved from the original paper-and-pencil to the electronic version is still little investigated. This study aims at evaluating equivalence between PROMs and ePROMs self-administration in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS); in addition, preference of self-administration type was evaluated.

Motor imagery has a priming effect on motor execution in people with multiple sclerosis.

Priming is a learning process that refers to behavioral changes caused by previous exposure to a similar stimulus. Motor imagery (MI), which involves the mental rehearsal of action representations in working memory without engaging in actual execution, could be a strategy for priming the motor system. This study investigates whether MI primes action execution in Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

Standard versus innovative robotic balance assessment for people with multiple sclerosis: a correlational study.

Introduction: Balance disorders are common in people with Multiple Sclerosis (PwMS) and, together with other impairments and disabilities, often prevent PwMS from performing their daily living activities. Besides clinical scales and performance tests, robotic platforms can provide more sensitive, specific, and objective monitoring. Validated technologies have been adopted as gold standard, but innovative robotic solutions would represent an opportunity to detect balance impairment in PwMS.

Development and psychometric properties of a self-assessed knowledge questionnaire for caregivers of people with multiple sclerosis (CareKoMS): a cross-sectional study.

Objectives: Knowledge about multiple sclerosis (MS) is crucial for those who provide care and support as caregivers. However, despite the key benefits of acquiring relevant information to properly assume the caregiving role, caregivers' knowledge of MS is poorly investigated. The aim of this study was to develop and validate the Caregivers' Knowledge of Multiple Sclerosis (CareKoMS), a self-assessed questionnaire, to test MS knowledge in caregivers of people with MS.

Cognitive rehabilitation in multiple sclerosis: Three digital ingredients to address current and future priorities.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurological chronic disease with autoimmune demyelinating lesions and one of the most common disability causes in young adults. People with MS (PwMS) experience cognitive impairments (CIs) and clinical evidence shows their presence during all MS stages even in the absence of other symptoms. Cognitive rehabilitation (CR) aims at reducing CI and improving PwMS' awareness of cognitive difficulties faced in their daily living.

Physical Activity in Multiple Sclerosis: Meeting the Guidelines at the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background And Purpose: Regular physical activity (PA) helps to reduce the severity of physical and mental symptoms and improves quality of life in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS). Based on current evidence and expert opinion, the recent multiple sclerosis guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes/week of PA. This study presents the results of a survey analyzing whether and how PwMS met the guidelines before and during the pandemic.

Changes in physiotherapy services and use of technology for people with multiple sclerosis during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to reorganization or reduction of neurorehabilitation services for people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS). The aim of this study was to explore the changes in the organizational framework and technology usage in physiotherapy services for PwMS during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: This international cross-sectional survey study was designed, developed, and disseminated by RIMS European Network for Best Practice and Research in Multiple Sclerosis Rehabilitation.

Balance Impairments in People with Early-Stage Multiple Sclerosis: Boosting the Integration of Instrumented Assessment in Clinical Practice.

The balance of people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) is commonly assessed during neurological examinations through clinical Romberg and tandem gait tests that are often not sensitive enough to unravel subtle deficits in early-stage PwMS. Inertial sensors (IMUs) could overcome this drawback. Nevertheless, IMUs are not yet fully integrated into clinical practice due to issues including the difficulty to understand/interpret the big number of parameters provided and the lack of cut-off values to identify possible abnormalities.

The economic impact of comorbidity in multiple sclerosis.

Background: Comorbid conditions are common in people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS). They can delay diagnosis and negatively impact the disease course, progression of disability, therapeutic management, and adherence to treatment.

Objective: To quantify the economic impact of comorbidity in multiple sclerosis (MS), based on cost-of-illness estimates made using a bottom-up approach.

Impact of Covid-19 emergency on rehabilitation services for Multiple Sclerosis: An international RIMS survey.

Background: Covid-19 pandemic greatly impacted on the healthcare systems worldwide with negative consequences on several aspects of clinical populations. For neurological chronic conditions such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS), rehabilitation activities have been suspended or postponed during the pandemic. Rehabilitation is crucial for people with MS (PwMS) because it promotes recovery from relapses and maximizes opportunities for social participation.