Abstract
BackgroundIn Parkinson's disease (PD), the complex relationship between motor symptoms, affective states, and contextual factors remains to be elucidated. The Experience Sampling Method provides (ESM) a novel approach to this issue. Using a mobile device with a special purpose application (app), motor symptoms, affective states and contextual factors are assessed repeatedly at random moments in the flow of daily life, yielding an intensive time series of symptoms and experience. The aim of this study was to study the feasibility of this method.MethodWe studied the feasibility of a five-day period of ESM in PD and its ability to objectify diurnal fluctuations in motor symptom severity and their relation with affect and contextual factors in five PD patients with motor fluctuations.ResultsParticipants achieved a high compliance, with 84% of assessment moments completed without disturbance of daily activities. The utility of the device was rated 8 on a 10-point scale. We were able to capture extensive diurnal fluctuations that were not revealed by routine clinical assessment. In addition, we were able to detect clinically relevant associations between motor symptoms, emotional fluctuations and contextual factors at an intra-individual level.ConclusionsESM represents a viable and novel approach to elucidate relationships between motor symptoms, affective states and contextual factors at the level of individual subjects. ESM holds promise for clinical practice and scientific research.
Highlights
Parkinson disease is a complex neurodegenerative disease with both motor and nonmotor symptoms
We studied the feasibility of a five-day period of Experience Sampling Method (ESM) in Parkinson's disease (PD) and its ability to objectify diurnal fluctuations in motor symptom severity and their relation with affect and contextual factors in five PD patients with motor fluctuations
Participants achieved a high compliance, with 84% of assessment moments completed without disturbance of daily activities
Summary
Parkinson disease is a complex neurodegenerative disease with both motor and nonmotor symptoms. It is increasingly recognized that personal circumstances and contextual factors may impact the severity of motor symptoms as well as the well-being of PD patients. Assessing subjects several times a day during their normal daily activities, which is possible with the Experience Sampling Method (ESM), may provide information about the frequency and severity of emotions or motor fluctuations, and provide valuable information on situational and behavioural moderators driving these fluctuations [5,6,7,8]. In Parkinson's disease (PD), the complex relationship between motor symptoms, affective states, and contextual factors remains to be elucidated. Using a mobile device with a special purpose application (app), motor symptoms, affective states and contextual factors are assessed repeatedly at random moments in the flow of daily life, yielding an intensive time series of symptoms and experience. The aim of this study was to study the feasibility of this method
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