A mixed-effects spatio-temporal model to assess the joint effects of ageing and Alzheimer's disease in gray matter volume.
Résumé
The decrease in volume of gray matter (GM) has already been recognized as characteristic of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and of its progression. However the mechanism underlying this phenomenon and its interaction with the ageing process remains a subject of current research. This paper presents a mixed-effects spatio-temporal model to assess the evolution in GM volume in non-AD and AD patients. This model highlights the different spatio-temporal patterns of GM evolution in healthy elderly (HE) and AD patients, which appear to be consistent with previous studies concerning GM evolution.