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Clinical Lewy body syndromes
1Department of Old Age Psychiatry, Institute for the Health of the Elderly, Wolfson Research Centre, Newcastle General Hospital, Westgate Road, Newcastle upon Tyne NE4 6BE, UK. i.g.mckeith@ncl.ac.uk
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
|February 24, 2001
Summary
Lewy body (LB) disease presents with varied symptoms like movement disorders, autonomic failure, and dementia. Recognizing LB disease is crucial for diagnosing conditions such as dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB).
Area of Science:
- Neuropathology
- Neurodegenerative Diseases
Background:
- Lewy bodies (LBs) are neuronal inclusions composed of abnormal proteins, including alpha-synuclein and ubiquitin.
- The clinical manifestations of Lewy body (LB) disease are diverse, depending on the location of LB formation and neuronal loss.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the clinicopathological spectrum of Lewy body (LB) disease.
- To highlight the diagnostic considerations for LB disease, including dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB).
Main Methods:
- Review of clinicopathological findings in Lewy body (LB) disease.
- Analysis of clinical presentations associated with LB pathology.
Main Results:
- Three primary syndromes are associated with LB disease: movement disorder, autonomic failure, and dementia.
- Parkinsonism is common in middle-aged individuals, while older patients often exhibit mixed cognitive, autonomic, and motor dysfunction.
- Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), characterized by cortical and brainstem LB pathology, accounts for up to 20% of dementia in the elderly.
Conclusions:
- Lewy body (LB) disease encompasses a range of neurological disorders with overlapping clinical features.
- Consideration of LB disease is essential for diagnosing conditions presenting with cognitive decline, movement abnormalities, autonomic dysfunction, and disturbances of consciousness.