Likelihood estimation of drug occupancy for brain PET studies

The results are conclusive in that MLE can be used to estimate Δ and VND from PET data, avoiding the limitations associated with linear regression. The performance of LEO was, naturally, dependent on the procedure used to estimate the covariance matrix, and the test-retest sample size. Given a test-retest sample size of at least 5, but preferably 10 individuals, LEO provides higher accuracy and precision than Lassen plot in the estimation of Δ and VND. We conclude that LEO is valuable in drug occupancy studies.