Study: Lack of brain shrinkage may help predict who develops dementia with Lewy bodies

Mayo Clinic: Dementia with Lewy bodies is a progressive disease that causes hallucinations, decline in mental abilities, rigid muscles, slow movement and tremors. With symptoms similar to Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, a correct diagnosis can be difficult. A new study published today in the online issue of Neurology, a medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, shows that a lack of shrinkage in the area of the brain called the hippocampus may be a sign that people with thinking and memory problems may develop dementia with Lewy bodies rather than Alzheimer’s disease. Atrophy of the hippocampus, the area of the brain responsible for thinking and memory, is an early sign of Alzheimer’s disease.

Robin williams and Lewy Body Disease

Brainposts: In a post last week, I highlighted a recent study examining clinical issues in the diagnosis of Lewy body dementia (LBD).This study examined differentiating clinical and neuropsychological factors between LBD, Alzheimer's dementia and Parkinson's disease. This topic received significant attention following the description of comedian Robin Williams' last years by his wife in the journal Neurology. Robin Williams suffered from LBD and like many, his diagnosis was not made until autopsy.

Dementia with Lewy Bodies

Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder, neuropathologically distinguished by a synucleinopathy (abnormal deposition of synuclein, a small, soluble protein primarily expressed in neural tissue and in certain tumors). and is clinically characterized by dementia, fluctuating cognition and vigilance, (visual) hallucinations and parkinsonism.