Measurement and Impact of Physical Impairment in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Use of Digital Technologies - A Precision ALS Project

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), the most common form of Motor Neuron Disease (MND), is a neurodegenerative disease. At present there are limited treatment options for this disease which progressively affects physical function, i.e., the ability to speak, breathe, walk, and perform activities of daily living. ALS is a rare disease, and can present differently amongst individuals, therefore global collaboration is vital to have enough participants in studies to evaluate the effects of new treatments more precisely. There are now many novel technologies that measure physical function which could be used in research studies to allow people with ALS to participate, in-part from home, knowing that they have access to the best clinical trials but with minimal time and travel burden. Their accuracy and the ability/willingness of people with ALS to use them need to be evaluated before they are accepted. One of the traditional measurements used in research is called the ALS Functional Rating Scale -revised (ALSFRS-r) but this measurement has been criticised for being unable to pick up small changes and, in the digital age, outdated. The primary aim of this study is to develop a digital toolkit for more accurate measurement of physical aspects of ALS. It will test new technologies that measure physical function (i.e., walking, speech, swallow, strength, respiration (breathing), dexterity) that can be used by people with ALS in their own home. This study has two aims: Firstly, to test a selection of new digital technologies (in the form of devices, online systems and applications used on smartphones/electronic tablets) that measure physical function (e.g., walking, speech, strength) and assess whether the technologies are easy to use and acceptable both to people with ALS/MND and healthcare professionals. Secondly, to measure how good technologies are at picking up changes in physical function over time and how they compare to older measures that are usually employed