The collection of normative data from healthy adults will also mean that clinical interpretations of MSPT scores will have broader utility in MS patients and groups, and the technology can be adapted to yield additional data such as specific measurements for balance and speed.
Dr. Patricia Coyle, professor of psychiatry and neurology at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and director of the MS comprehensive care center there, said in an interview that technology such as this has the power to "revolutionize" disease management, particularly if it is collected into a central database accessible to any clinician or researcher.
"There are only so many MS patients, and we don’t have a good idea of their disease activity. They’re not tracked. No one’s trying to pull that data together," she said. But having these data "potentially would mean revolutionizing" the field.
Novartis funded the study on the MSPT app. Dr. Rudick said that he has received consulting fees from Genzyme and Novartis. Dr. Coyle reported she has financial relationships with Biogen Idec, Genentech, and Genzyme, among others.
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