1 research outputs found
The Non-Motor Symptoms Scale in Parkinson's disease: validation and use
The NonâMotor Symptoms Scale (NMSS) was developed and validated in 2007 as the first instrument for the comprehensive assessment of a range of nonâmotor symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD). Thirteen years have elapsed since its introduction and extensive international validation with good psychometric attributes has been carried out. Here, we review the validation data of the NMSS and its crossâvalidity with other scales, and describe the key evidence derived from use of the NMSS in clinical studies. To date, over 100 clinical studies and trials have made use of it as an outcome measure, showing consistent and strong correlations between NMSS burden and healthârelated quality of life measures. Moreover, the scale has shown to be capable of detecting longitudinal changes in nonâmotor symptoms, where studies have shown differential changes over time of several of the NMSS domains. The scale has become a key outcome in several randomized clinical trials. Highlighting the prevalence and importance of nonâmotor symptoms to quality of life in patients with PD, the development of NMSS has also been useful in signposting clinical and biomarker based research addressing nonâmotor symptoms in PD