Lewy Body dementia

Changes in the brain of Lewy Body dementia

Lewy Body dementia is caused by the accumulation of a protein in the brain stem and therefore affects motor skills and movement. Lewy bodies are accumulations of a protein inside nerve cells deep down in an area of the brain called the brain stem that helps activate our movements. These Lewy bodies have been found in Parkinson’s disease patients, which in themselves cause slow, rigid movements, shaking of the hands, diminished mimicry, monotonous speech and tripping, bending gait. In Lewy Body dementia, the same Lewy bodies are found deep in the brain, but also in large parts of the brain – also in areas that perform intellectual functions. For Parkinson’s disease, therefore, for many years, only movement disorders are seen, while at Lewy Body dementia you see a combination of movement disorders and dementia. Why, in some cases, Lewy bodies adhere to the lower central parts of the brain, and why they sometimes are spread to the entire brain, is not known. We know that the Lewy bodies are made up of a protein, named “alpha-synuclein”, but why it accumulates in the cells and why these are destroyed is unknown.

Characteristics of Lewy Body Dementia

Lewy body dementia is a neurodegenerative dementia disease that, in addition to dementia, also can cause movement disorders resembling the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, as well as visual hallucinations and alternating attention. There may be shorter or longer episodes where the person seems distant, unclear or confused, but the condition may change from day to day and from hour to hour. The person may seem dull, indifferent, tired or numb, stare out into the air for longer periods and sleeps more than usual during the day.

The person’s ability to plan, overview and orientate is influenced. Lewy Body dementia also means that the affected person has a tendency to see visions during periods. The visions are usually quite lively, detailed and natural, e.g. in the form of people or animals that are present in the room without saying anything. The visual hallucinations do not necessarily seem scary. Three out of four persons with dementia get worse in walking and developing slow and rigid movements. The agitation disturbances resemble the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. The fine motor control also gets worse, the speech becomes lower and slower, and there is less mimic. Lively nightmares and troubled movements disturb some persons sleep. Sleep disorders may develop several years before the other symptoms and occur frequently.

Lewy Body dementia is the third or fourth most common form of dementia. Lewy Body dementia can be difficult even for specialist physicians to distinguish from Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, which contributes to the uncertainty about how frequently the disease occurs.
Lewy Body dementia is a slow progressive brain disease that specifically affects older people. Hereditary forms of this disease have not yet been found. The greatest risk factor for the disease is age. There is no cure for Lewy body dementia, but medicine can temporarily reduce the dementia symptoms. It develops slowly and gradually, and often begins with changes in awareness or state of consciousness. The average debut age is around 75 years, which is about the same as for dementia of Parkinson’s disease. Lewy Body dementia is not diagnosed earlier than about 50 years old. There are no known risk factors for Lewy Body dementia beyond age. The disease is more common in men than in women.