Frontotemporal Dementia Caregiver Support Center

The National Institutes of Health defines dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), a cause of degenerative dementia in elderly adults, as a neurodegenerative disorder associated with abnormal structures (Lewy bodies) found in certain areas of the brain. Because these structures and many of the symptoms of DLB are associated with Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, researchers do not yet understand whether DLB is a distinct clinical entity or perhaps a variant of Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease. Recent research has revealed that Lewy bodies contain deposits of a protein called alpha-synuclein that is also linked to Parkinson's disease and multiple system atrophy. Symptoms can range from traditional Parkinsonian effects, such as loss of spontaneous movement (bradykinesia), rigidity (muscles feel stiff and resist movement), tremor, and shuffling gait, to effects similar to those of Alzheimer's disease, such as acute confusion, loss of memory, and loss of or fluctuating cognition. Visual hallucinations may be one of the first symptoms noted, and patients may suffer from other psychiatric disturbances such as delusions and depression. Onset of the disorder usually occurs in older adults, although younger people can be affected as well.