The Nature of Progression in Parkinson’s Disease: An Application of Non-Linear Multivariate Longitudinal Random Effects Modelling

摘要

BackgroundTo date, statistical methods that take into account fully the non-linear, longitudinal and multivariate aspects of clinical data have not been applied to the study of progression in Parkinson’s disease (PD). In this paper, we demonstrate the usefulness of such methodology for studying the temporal and spatial aspects of the progression of PD. Extending this methodology further, we also explore the presymptomatic course of this disease.