Perception May Differ From Actual Function
During the Q&A session, Nora Fritz, PhD, an associate professor of neurology at Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, asked about the lack of correlations seen in more disabled patients. “It’s not exactly what you would expect to happen,” said Dr. Fritz, in an interview.
She asked Dr. Williams if the study had sufficient power to detect associations in patients with more severe disability, since the study had a relatively small sample size and many predictors in its regression model. Dr. Fritz also noted that perceptions may differ from actual function, so actual function can’t be captured using a survey. Dr. Williams responded that the group is now working to incorporate more clinical measures to their correlations.
Another audience member said she was “perplexed” by the drop-off of correlation in the most severe group. She suggested the possibility that as patients become more disabled, they may be less likely to perceive the relatively less severe non-motor symptoms and therefore did not report them.
Dr. Williams and Dr. Fritz have no relevant financial disclosures.