ArticleJournal of neurology2026
The practice effect of smartphone-derived cognitive processing speed assessments as a proxy of cognitive functioning in multiple sclerosis.
Article in Journal of neurology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Training effects in oculography in multiple sclerosis patients: a one-year longitudinal study.Graefe's archive for clinical and experimental ophthalmology = Albrecht von Graefes Archiv fur klinische und experimentelle Ophthalmologie · 2026Article
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Authors and funding
17 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIn multiple sclerosis (MS), symbol digit modalities test (SDMT) scores are often influenced by practice effects. We evaluated the SDMT practice effect as a proxy of cognitive performance by relating it to disease severity and future performance.
methodsPeople with MS (pwMS) and healthy controls (HCs) were evaluated at baseline and five-year follow-up. Practice effects were modeled using two-part piecewise linear regression on daily smartphone SDMT (sSDMT) scores. Cognitive impairment (CI) and preservation (CP) were defined relative to HC baseline sSDMT z-scores (CI: z < -1.67, CP: z ≥ -1.67). Practice outcomes across HC/CP/CI were compared using ANCOVA and correlated to baseline variables. They were also assessed in relation to clinical outcomes and brain volumes in cross-sectional and baseline-follow-up models.
results85 pwMS (CP/CI: 66/19) and 20 HCs were analyzed. 73 pwMS completed follow-up (5.39 ± 0.38y). A practice plateau occurred in 80%/82%/100% of HC/CI/CP. Higher baseline sSDMT was related to higher plateau sSDMT (ρ = 0.930, p < 0.001) and lower %-increase (ρ = -0.266, p = 0.013). %-increase was higher in CI than CP (CI/CP = 22.0%/15.5 adj.p = 0.004), but the absolute ∆-increase and breakpoint were similar across groups. Associations of disability, cognition, and brain volumes with the plateau sSDMT were stronger when compared to the baseline sSDMT. No other associations were found cross-sectionally and in the baseline-follow-up models.
conclusionsEarly-phase sSDMT practice effects were related to cognitive performance but were unique to disease status or associated with disease severity in pwMS. Plateau sSDMT showed stronger associations with disability and brain volumes than baseline performance. Interpretation of SDMT performance should therefore consider practice effects.
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