Metri-Q Stage 3
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Further Development of a Cognitive Outcome Metric (MS-Q) in Multiple Sclerosis—a Pilot Cognitive Outcome and Biomarker Study
IRAS ID
304333
Contact name
Luke James William Canham
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 6 months, 0 days
Research summary
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurological condition affecting over 100,000 people in the UK. 40–70% of people with MS have problems with their memory and thinking, even shortly after diagnosis. Issues with processing information, concentration, and prioritising tasks can greatly reduce confidence, independence, and quality of life, yet it is hard for clinicians to quantify these symptoms, and there is no proven drug treatments. Clinical trials cannot go ahead without an accepted means of measuring cognitive impairment. This study aims to develop a reliable measurement tool, the MS-Q score, to assess cognitive impairment and its impact on real-world activities, as well as look for patterns in brainwaves seen on electroencephalogram (EEG).
Adults aged 18–75 with MS will be recruited from the Bristol & Avon MS Centre (BrAMS) at North Bristol NHS Trust. Building on our team's previous exploratory work, participants will complete cognitive tests, questionnaires, and an EEG in a session lasting less than three hours. Optional follow-up testing will be offered at 3 and 48 weeks to observe EEG changes over time.
This study will combine the results of cognitive tests, and incorporate estimated baseline cognitive ability, to produce a single score ('MS-Q'). These results need to be taken together with questionnaires to help interpret how cognitive tests relate to difficulties in the ‘real world’. This is an important step to being accepted as a clinical trial measurement. This is because a trial measure needs to be sensitive to change, and relate to the real-world difficulties patients face. We will analyse EEG and recent brain scan results to look for further insights into ‘biomarkers’ - a reliable way of quantifying or tracking cognitive impairment.
Funded by Southmead Hospital Charity, this study could lay the groundwork for future clinical trials aimed at treating cognitive impairment in MS.REC name
East Midlands - Nottingham 2 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
26/EM/0139
Date of REC Opinion
29 Jun 2026
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion