A helping hand for the diagnosis and prognosis of MND

MND remains difficult to diagnose as it often means having lots of tests to rule out other conditions which have similar symptoms. Some of the tests used to help diagnose MND are nerve conduction tests, which use electrical pulses to make the muscle move and the movement is recorded. Research has suggested that nerve conduction tests used on hand muscles may identify MND accurately and give an idea of someone’s disease progression. In this study, multiple centres around the world will determine whether these tests in hand muscles might be useful for diagnosing and predicting someone’s progression of the disease.  

What could this mean for MND research?

If this test is found to be useful, it could be in clinics around the world to help diagnose MND quicker as it could be used as a screening test where positive results would lead to further tests to confirm MND. Diagnosing MND earlier would mean that people with MND can receive treatment and care sooner and could lead to entry into clinical trials at earlier stages of disease. These tests could also help to provide a more accurate prediction of an individual’s disease progression, allowing people to think plan for future care and support they might need later on in the disease.