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Pinarello C, Elmers J, Inojosa H, Beste C, Ziemssen T. Management of multiple sclerosis fatigue in the digital age: from assessment to treatment. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1231321. [PMID: 37869507 PMCID: PMC10585158 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1231321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Fatigue is one of the most disabling symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis (MS), affecting more than 80% of patients over the disease course. Nevertheless, it has a multi-faceted and complex nature, making its diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment extremely challenging in clinical practice. In the last years, digital supporting tools have emerged to support the care of people with MS. These include not only smartphone or table-based apps, but also wearable devices or novel techniques such as virtual reality. Furthermore, an additional effective and cost-efficient tool for the therapeutic management of people with fatigue is becoming increasingly available. Virtual reality and e-Health are viable and modern tools to both assess and treat fatigue, with a variety of applications and adaptability to patient needs and disability levels. Most importantly, they can be employed in the patient's home setting and can not only bridge clinic visits but also be complementary to the monitoring and treatment means for those MS patients who live far away from healthcare structures. In this narrative review, we discuss the current knowledge and future perspectives in the digital management of fatigue in MS. These may also serve as sources for research of novel digital biomarkers in the identification of disease activity and progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Pinarello
- Center of Clinical Neuroscience, Department of Neurology, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technical University of Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Julia Elmers
- Center of Clinical Neuroscience, Department of Neurology, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technical University of Dresden, Dresden, Germany
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Technical University of Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Hernán Inojosa
- Center of Clinical Neuroscience, Department of Neurology, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technical University of Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Christian Beste
- Cognitive Neurophysiology, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Technical University of Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Tjalf Ziemssen
- Center of Clinical Neuroscience, Department of Neurology, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technical University of Dresden, Dresden, Germany
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de Villers-Sidani É, Voss P, Bastien N, Cisneros-Franco JM, Hussein S, Mayo NE, Koch NA, Drouin-Picaro A, Blanchette F, Guitton D, Giacomini PS. Oculomotor analysis to assess brain health: preliminary findings from a longitudinal study of multiple sclerosis using novel tablet-based eye-tracking software. Front Neurol 2023; 14:1243594. [PMID: 37745656 PMCID: PMC10516298 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1243594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023] Open
Abstract
A growing body of evidence supports the link between eye movement anomalies and brain health. Indeed, the oculomotor system is composed of a diverse network of cortical and subcortical structures and circuits that are susceptible to a variety of degenerative processes. Here we show preliminary findings from the baseline measurements of an ongoing longitudinal cohort study in MS participants, designed to determine if disease and cognitive status can be estimated and tracked with high accuracy based on eye movement parameters alone. Using a novel gaze-tracking technology that can reliably and accurately track eye movements with good precision without the need for infrared cameras, using only an iPad Pro embedded camera, we show in this cross-sectional study that several eye movement parameters significantly correlated with clinical outcome measures of interest. Eye movement parameters were extracted from fixation, pro-saccade, anti-saccade, and smooth pursuit visual tasks, whereas the clinical outcome measures were the scores of several disease assessment tools and standard cognitive tests such as the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), Brief International Cognitive Assessment for MS (BICAMS), the Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite (MSFC) and the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT). Furthermore, partial least squares regression analyses show that a small set of oculomotor parameters can explain up to 84% of the variance of the clinical outcome measures. Taken together, these findings not only replicate previously known associations between eye movement parameters and clinical scores, this time using a novel mobile-based technology, but also the notion that interrogating the oculomotor system with a novel eye-tracking technology can inform us of disease severity, as well as the cognitive status of MS participants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Étienne de Villers-Sidani
- Innodem Neurosciences, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Patrice Voss
- Innodem Neurosciences, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | | | - J. Miguel Cisneros-Franco
- Innodem Neurosciences, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | | | - Nancy E. Mayo
- Faculty of Medicine, School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Nils A. Koch
- Innodem Neurosciences, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | | | | | - Daniel Guitton
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Paul S. Giacomini
- Innodem Neurosciences, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
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Kuppuswamy A. Role of selective attention in fatigue in neurological disorders. Eur J Neurol 2023; 30:1453-1458. [PMID: 36773013 PMCID: PMC10946524 DOI: 10.1111/ene.15739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Revised: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Chronic fatigue is a significant symptom in several diseases including traumatic and degenerative neurological disorders. While several studies have investigated the correlates of chronic fatigue, there is as yet no unifying framework to explain chronic fatigue. METHODS In this narrative review, I investigate the role of selective attention in the development of chronic fatigue and discuss results within the framework of the sensory attenuation model of fatigue, which posits that fatigue is the phenomenological output of altered attention to sensory input. Following a short introduction of this framework, I present results from investigations that address attentional mechanisms in fatigue in multiple sclerosis, stroke, traumatic brain injury and Parkinson's disease. RESULTS Attention was quantified in all four disease models using a variety of outcome measures, including behavioural, neurophysiological, structural and functional brain connectivity. The range of measures precluded direct comparison of results across disease conditions; however, in all four disease models there was evidence of poor selective attention that explained levels of chronic fatigue, supporting the sensory attenuation model of fatigue as a disease-independent mechanism of fatigue. Evidence was lacking to draw any conclusions about the direction of causality. CONCLUSION The role of selective attention in development of fatigue is indicated. Future studies must focus on establishing causality and exploring attentional circuitry as a potential therapeutic target.
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