Case study · Cognitron Discovery
Uncovering a new multiple sclerosis subtype at population scale
One of the world's largest objective studies of cognition in multiple sclerosis used Cognitron to assess 4,526 people online, and identified a previously unrecognised MS subtype.
UK MS Register
- People assessed online
- 4,526
- People assessed online
- Replication, accuracy (r)
- 0.93
- Replication, accuracy (r)
- Replication, speed (r)
- 0.88
- Replication, speed (r)
- Previously unrecognised subtype
- 1
- Previously unrecognised subtype
The challenge
Cognitive impairment is common in multiple sclerosis, but it varies widely from person to person. Standard neuropsychological assessment is time-consuming, needs a trained assessor, and is hard to run at the scale needed to see patterns across a whole population.
Our approach
Members of the UK MS Register completed a Cognitron battery online, without supervision, in two independent samples. The battery was optimised between the two stages, and completion rates increased from stage one to stage two.
The outcome
Cognitron showed higher sensitivity than standard neuropsychological assessment, and the scale of the study revealed a distinct MS subtype with selective cognitive impairment. The results from the first sample were closely reproduced in the second (r = 0.93 for accuracy, 0.88 for speed).
In people with MS retested after 18 months, retest reliability was high for the global score (r = 0.88), and a change of about one standard deviation between assessments indicates real change with 95% confidence.
Reference
Lerede A, Moura A, Giunchiglia V, et al. Large-scale online assessment uncovers a distinct multiple sclerosis subtype with selective cognitive impairment. Nature Communications. 2025;16(1):6938. doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-62156-4