Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB) believed to be the second most common type after Alzheimer's disease. In this type of dementia the cause of the brain damage is different from Alzheimer's. Abnormal protein deposits (intracytoplasmic proteins) called Lewy bodies are the hallmark of this disease.
Symptoms of DLB can be difficult to distinguish from Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. The central feature of DLB is progressive cognitive decline, combined with three additional defining features:
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Fluctuations in alertness and attention, such as frequent drowsiness, lethargy, lengthy periods of time spent staring into space, or disorganized speech
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Recurrent visual hallucinations
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Parkinsonian motor symptoms, such as rigidity and the loss of spontaneous movement
The symptoms of Dementia with Lewy Bodies are caused by the build-up of Lewy bodies – accumulated bits of alpha-synuclein protein -- inside the nuclei of neurons in areas of the brain that control particular aspects of memory and motor control.
Researchers don't know exactly why alpha-synuclein accumulates into Lewy bodies or how Lewy bodies cause the symptoms of DLB, but they do know that alpha-synuclein accumulation is also linked to Parkinson's disease, multiple system atrophy, and several other disorders, which are referred to as the "synucleinopathies."
The similarity of symptoms between DLB and Parkinson's disease, and between DLB and Alzheimer's disease, can often make it difficult for a doctor to make a definitive diagnosis. Lewy bodies are often also found in the brains of people with Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. These findings suggest that either DLB is related to these other causes of dementia or that an individual can have both diseases at the same time. DLB usually occurs sporadically, in people with no known family history of the disease. However, rare familial cases have occasionally been reported.