The progression of multiple sclerosis can be assessed by tapping on a smartphone

Our phone is more useful than we think for monitoring our health. Researchers from the University of Amsterdam (Netherlands) have developed a method for measuring the progression of multiple sclerosis using an application that analyzes the speed of typing on a touch phone. The study was published online in Chaos: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Nonlinear Science November 12, 2020.

A mobile application dedicated to patients

Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune and neurodegenerative disease that affects the central nervous system. It degrades the myelin sheath, isolating it around the axons that connect neurons together. When the myelin sheath is damaged, it slows the transmission of electrical information between neurons, which also slows down information going from the brain to the rest of the body. This disease, which affects twice as many women as men, affects more than 100,000 people in France and 2.3 million people worldwide.

Based on the observation that multiple sclerosis slows down nerve information between the body and the brain, the researchers decided to use the speed of typing a message on a touch screen to measure the progression of the disease. To do this, they analyze the typing speed, the latency time between each letter typed, as well as the number of mistakes made and corrected.

For their study, they invited people with and without multiple sclerosis, aged between 18 and 65. For twelve months, thanks to a mobile application, called Neurokeys, on board the participants’ phones, they were able to observe the changes in patients compared to people who do not have multiple sclerosis.

Better disease monitoring on a daily basis

“Clinically relevant changes in strike dynamics can be seen as early warning signs for changes in the patient’s disease activity before the change occurssays James Twose, data scientist in artificial intelligence at the University of Amsterdam. In chronic diseases such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, there is a worsening over time. When it comes to typing, you have to have all your skills to do it right. This is where we notice the people who have problems with it. “

The best way to track changes in the brain caused by multiple sclerosis is still with MRI scans, which patients do every 3-12 months with their doctor. However, the researchers remain convinced that their continuous monitoring method can help healthcare professionals predict when further changes in treatment will be needed.

Such a system could prove useful for people with chronic diseases for several reasons. On the one hand, it would provide a more complete picture of the evolution of patients’ health status between two appointments. On the other hand, this would also represent a comfort for seriously ill patients, who may have difficulty moving, being monitored remotely and therefore being able to change their treatment.