Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for people living with motor neuron disease: an uncontrolled feasibility study

BACKGROUND

Motor neuron disease (MND) is a fatal, progressive neurodegenerative disease that causes progressive weakening and wasting of limb, bulbar, thoracic and abdominal muscles. Clear evidence-based guidance on how psychological distress should be managed in people living with MND (plwMND) is lacking. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a form of psychological therapy that may be particularly suitable for this population. However, to the authors' knowledge, no study to date has evaluated ACT for plwMND. Consequently, the primary aim of this uncontrolled feasibility study was to examine the feasibility and acceptability of ACT for improving the psychological health of plwMND.

METHODS

PlwMND aged ≥ 18 years were recruited from 10 UK MND Care Centres/Clinics. Participants received up to 8 one-to-one ACT sessions, developed specifically for plwMND, plus usual care. Co-primary feasibility and acceptability outcomes were uptake (≥ 80% of the target sample [N = 28] recruited) and initial engagement with the intervention (≥ 70% completing ≥ 2 sessions). Secondary outcomes included measures of quality of life, anxiety, depression, disease-related functioning, health status and psychological flexibility in plwMND and quality of life and burden in caregivers. Outcomes were assessed at baseline and 6 months.

RESULTS

Both a priori indicators of success were met: 29 plwMND (104%) were recruited and 76% (22/29) attended ≥ 2 sessions. Attrition at 6-months was higher than anticipated (8/29, 28%), but only two dropouts were due to lack of acceptability of the intervention. Acceptability was further supported by good satisfaction with therapy and session attendance. Data were possibly suggestive of small improvements in anxiety and psychological quality of life from baseline to 6 months in plwMND, despite a small but expected deterioration in disease-related functioning and health status.

CONCLUSIONS

There was good evidence of acceptability and feasibility. Limitations included the lack of a control group and small sample size, which complicate interpretation of findings. A fully powered RCT to evaluate the clinical and cost-effectiveness of ACT for plwMND is underway.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

The study was pre-registered with the ISRCTN Registry (ISRCTN12655391).

Comparison Of King's Clinical Staging In Multinational Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Cohorts

Background: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) shows considerable clinical heterogeneity, which affects clinical trials. A clinical staging system has been proposed for ALS with potential applications in patient care, research, trial design and health economic analyses. The King's system consists of five stages. We have previously shown that progressive clinical stages were reached at predictable proportions through the disease course, but this needs to be validated in other independent samples. Objectives: We aimed to compare King's clinical staging in ALS in four patient groups, located in different regions and countries and using different health care systems from the original study population in South London. Methods: Clinical data were extracted from two European phase 3 randomized controlled trials (MitoTarget and LiCALS) and from two databases predominately from the United States: the PRO-ACT Consortium Database and a database of patients from the PatientsLikeMe website. Clinical stage was estimated using an algorithm, and standardized time to each clinical stage was calculated in deceased patients. Results: 8,796 patients were included, of whom 1,959 had died by the end of follow-up. Stages occurred in the same order as in the original study for all cohorts. Median standardized times to stages (interquartile range) were Stage 2: 0.61 (0.47-0.75), Stage 3: 0.68 (0.56-0.81), Stage 4A: 0.82 (0.71-0.91), Stage 4B: 0.82 (0.69-0.92) and Stage 4 0.80 (0.67-0.91). Discussion: Timings for all stages were similar to those reported in the original study, except Stage 2 which occurred later in the clinical trial databases due to recruitment occurring after diagnosis.

Correlations between measures of ALS respiratory function: is there an alternative to FVC?

Background: An ongoing longitudinal study in six European sites includes a 3-monthly assessment of forced vital capacity (FVC), slow vital capacity (SVC), peak cough flow (PCF), and Sniff nasal inspiratory pressure (SNIP). The aim of this interim analysis was to assess the potential for SNIP to be a surrogate for aerosol generating procedures given COVID-19 related restrictions. Methods: This was a prospective observational study. Patients attending six study sites with King's Stage 2 or 3 ALS completed baseline FVC/SVC/SNIP/PCF and repeated assessments 3 monthly. Data were collected from March 2018 to March 2020, after which a COVID-19 related study suspension was imposed. Correlations between the measures were calculated. A Bayesian multiple outcomes random-effects model was constructed to investigate rates of decline across measures. Results: In total, 270 cases and 828 assessments were included (Mean age 65.2 ± 15.4 years; 32.6% Female; 60% Kings stage 2; 81.1% spinal onset). FVC and SVC were the most closely correlated outcomes (0.95). SNIP showed the least correlation with other metrics 0.53 (FVC), 0.54 (SVC), 0.60 (PCF). All four measures significantly declined over time. SNIP in the bulbar onset group showed the fastest rate of decline. Discussion: SNIP was not well correlated with FVC and SVC, probably because it examines a different aspect of respiratory function. Respiratory measures declined over time, but differentially according to the site of onset. SNIP is not a surrogate for FVC and SVC, but is a complementary measure, declining linearly and differentiating spinal and bulbar onset patients.

The use of biotelemetry to explore disease progression markers in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

OBJECTIVE

To explore novel, real-world biotelemetry disease progression markers in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and to compare with clinical gold-standard measures. Methods: This was an exploratory, non-controlled, non-drug 2-phase study comprising a variable length Pilot Phase (n = 5) and a 48-week Core study Phase (n = 25; NCT02447952). Patients with mild or moderate ALS wore biotelemetry sensors for ∼3 days/month at home, measuring physical activity, heart rate variability (HRV), and speech over 48 weeks. These measures were assessed longitudinally in relation to ALS Functional Rating Scale-Revised (ALSFRS-R) score and forced vital capacity (FVC); assessed by telephone [monthly] and clinic visits [every 12 weeks]). Results: Pilot Phase data supported progression into the Core Phase, where a decline in physical activity from baseline followed ALS progression as measured by ALSFRS-R and FVC. Four endpoints showed moderate or strong between-patient correlations with ALSFRS-R total and gross motor domain scores (defined as a correlation coefficient of ≥0.5 or >0.7, respectively): average daytime active; percentage of daytime active; total daytime activity score; total 24-hour activity score. Moderate correlations were observed between speech endpoints and ALSFRS-R bulbar domain scores; HRV data quality was insufficient for reliable assessment. The sensor was generally well tolerated; 6/25 patients reported mostly mild or moderate intensity skin and subcutaneous tissue disorder adverse events. Conclusions: Biotelemetry measures of physical activity in this Pilot Study tracked ALS progression over time, highlighting their potential as endpoints for future clinical trials. A larger, formally powered study is required to further support activity endpoints as novel disease progression markers.

Objectively Monitoring Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Patient Symptoms During Clinical Trials With Sensors: Observational Study

Background

Objective symptom monitoring of patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) has the potential to provide an important source of information to evaluate the impact of the disease on aspects of real-world functional capacity and activities of daily living in the home setting, providing useful objective outcome measures for clinical trials.

Objective

This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of a novel digital platform for remote data collection of multiple symptoms—physical activity, heart rate variability (HRV), and digital speech characteristics—in 25 patients with ALS in an observational clinical trial setting to explore the impact of the devices on patients’ everyday life and to record tolerability related to the devices and study procedures over 48 weeks.

Methods

In this exploratory, noncontrolled, nondrug study, patients attended a clinical site visit every 3 months to perform activity reference tasks while wearing a sensor, to conduct digital speech tests and for conventional ALS monitoring. In addition, patients wore the sensor in their daily life for approximately 3 days every month for the duration of the study.

Results

The amount and quality of digital speech data captured at the clinical sites were as intended, and there were no significant issues. All the home monitoring sensor data available were propagated through the system and were received as expected. However, the amount and quality of physical activity home monitoring data were lower than anticipated. A total of 3 or more days (or partial days) of data were recorded for 65% of protocol time points, with no data collected for 24% of time points. At baseline, 24 of 25 patients provided data, reduced to 13 of 18 patients at Week 48. Lower-than-expected quality HRV data were obtained, likely because of poor contact between the sensor and the skin. In total, 6 of 25 patients had mild or moderate adverse events (AEs) in the skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders category because of skin irritation caused by the electrode patch. There were no reports of serious AEs or deaths. Most patients found the sensor comfortable, with no or minimal impact on daily activities.

Conclusions

The platform can measure physical activity in patients with ALS in their home environment; patients used the equipment successfully, and it was generally well tolerated. The quantity of home monitoring physical activity data was lower than expected, although it was sufficient to allow investigation of novel physical activity end points. Good-quality in-clinic speech data were successfully captured for analysis. Future studies using objective patient monitoring approaches, combined with the most current technological advances, may be useful to elucidate novel digital biomarkers of disease progression.

ALS-specific cognitive and behavior changes associated with advancing disease stage in ALS

Objective

To elucidate the relationship between disease stage in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), as measured with the King's Clinical Staging System, and cognitive and behavioral change, measured with the Edinburgh Cognitive and Behavioural ALS Screen (ECAS).

Methods

A large multicenter observational cohort of 161 cross-sectional patients with ALS and 80 healthy matched controls were recruited across 3 research sites (Dublin, Edinburgh, and London). Participants were administered the ECAS and categorized into independent groups based on their King's clinical disease stage at time of testing.

Results

Significant differences were observed between patients and controls on all subtests of the ECAS except for visuospatial functioning. A significant cross-sectional effect was observed across disease stages for ALS-specific functions (executive, language, letter fluency) and ECAS total score but not for ALS-nonspecific functions (memory, visuospatial). Rates of ALS-specific impairment and behavioral change were also related to disease stage. The relationship between cognitive function and disease stage may be due to letter fluency impairment, whereas higher rates of all behavioral domains were seen in later King's stage. The presence of bulbar signs, but not site of onset, was significantly related to ALS-specific, ECAS total, and behavioral scores.

Conclusion

ALS-specific cognitive deficits and behavioral impairment are more frequent with more severe disease stage. By end-stage disease, only a small percentage of patients are free of neuropsychological impairment. The presence of bulbar symptoms exaggerates the differences observed between disease stages. These findings suggest that cognitive and behavioral change should be incorporated into ALS diagnostic criteria and should be included in future staging systems.