Smartphone typing pattern changes may indicate MS progression

The patterns of typing people display when using smartphones changes over time in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) but not in people without the condition, a new study has found.

These changes also often happened at the same time as increased disease activity, disability or fatigue in patients both with and without changes in brain lesions.

Researchers said the findings are a first promising step towards using smartphone typing patterns to detect clinical changes in people with chronic conditions. They say that monitoring typing patterns over time could be an objective way to track disease progression in an easy, unobtrusive and timely way.