The Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite (MSFC) is a

clinical trial Clinical trials are prospective biomedical or behavioral research studies on human participants designed to answer specific questions about biomedical or behavioral interventions, including new treatments (such as novel vaccines, drugs, dietar ...

outcome measure An outcome measure, endpoint, effect measure or measure of effect is a measure within medical practice or research, (primarily clinical trials) which is used to assess the effect, both positive and negative, of an intervention or treatment. Measures ...

of assessing the severity of

multiple sclerosis Multiple (cerebral) sclerosis (MS), also known as encephalomyelitis disseminata or disseminated sclerosis, is the most common demyelinating disease, in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged. This d ...

primarily used in

research Research is "creativity, creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular att ...

. The score is based on a combination of timed tests of

walking Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an 'inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults o ...

, arm function, and

cognitive ability Cognitive skills, also called cognitive functions, cognitive abilities or cognitive capacities, are brain-based skills which are needed in acquisition of knowledge, manipulation of information and reasoning. They have more to do with the mechanisms ...

. It was developed over two years from 1994 to 1996 by the

National Multiple Sclerosis Society The National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) is a nonprofit organization that was founded in New York City as the Association for Advancement of Research on Multiple Sclerosis on March 11, 1946 by Sylvia Lawry. Ms. Lawry was a lawyer looking fo ...

. MSFC was developed to improve the standard measure of MS disability for clinical trials and to create a multidimensional metric of overall MS clinical status. The evaluation includes a three-part performance scale: * Timed 25-Foot Walk (T25FT) - assessment of leg function by moving a short walking distance * 9-Hole Peg Test (9HPT) - assessment of arm function using breadboard test *

Paced Auditory Serial Addition test Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT) is a neuropsychological test used to assess capacity and rate of information processing and sustained and divided attention. Originally the test was known as the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Task (P ...

(PASAT) - attention/concentration test to assess cognitive functions An integrated MSFC score is calculated using z-scores.

References

{{reflist Multiple sclerosis