Abstract
The Non-Motor Symptoms Scale (NMSS) was developed and validated in 2007 as the first instrument for the comprehensive assessment of a range of non-motor 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 cross-validity 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 health-related quality of life measures. Moreover, the scale has shown to be capable of detecting longitudinal changes in non-motor 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 non-motor 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 non-motor symptoms in PD.
Highlights
The Non-Motor Symptoms Scale (NMSS)[1] was first published in 2007, following several international validation studies, at a time when clinical research and practice were largely focussed on motor features,[2] with non-motor symptoms (NMS) frequently unrecognized.[3]
As a broad range of NMS occurs in Parkinson's disease (PD),[4] the NMSS was developed to capture many of these symptoms and was modelled on the successful introduction of the Non-Motor Symptoms Questionnaire (NMSQ) as a screening tool
We aim to summarize the global validation/clinical use data for the NMSS and discuss the most relevant studies making use of the NMSS as an outcome measures, highlighting the contribution of this scale to the detection of NMS in PD
Summary
The Non-Motor Symptoms Scale in Parkinson’s disease: Validation and use Daniel J. van Wamelen1,2,3 | Pablo Martinez-Martin4 | Daniel Weintraub5,6 | Anette Schrag7 | Angelo Antonini8 | Cristian Falup-Pecurariu9 | Per Odin10,11 | Kallol Ray Chaudhuri1,2 | International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society. The Non-Motor Symptoms Scale (NMSS) was developed and validated in 2007 as the first instrument for the comprehensive assessment of a range of non-motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD). Over 100 clinical studies and trials have made use of it as an outcome measure, showing consistent and strong correlations between NMSS burden and health-related quality of life measures. Highlighting the prevalence and importance of non-motor symptoms to quality of life in patients with PD, the development of NMSS has been useful in signposting clinical and biomarker based research addressing non-motor symptoms in PD
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
