A progressive brain disease and the second leading cause of degenerative dementia in the elderly, characterized anatomically by the presence of Lewy bodies. Core features of LBD include fluctuating cognition, recurrent visual hallucinations, and motor features of parkinsonism. The loss of cholinergic neurons is thought to account for the degradation of cognitive functioning, as in alzheimer’s disease, while the loss of dopaminergic neurons is thought to account for the degradation of motor control, as in parkinson’s disease. The overlap of neuropathologies and presenting symptoms can make an accurate differential diagnosis difficult.
A disease characterised by the presence of Lewy bodies in the brain, which affects the mental processes. It is similar to Alzheimer’s disease, but people with it are more prone to hallucinations and delusions.
Cognitive deterioration with rapid decline, delusions, and agitation.
A form of dementia in older people characterized by the presence of distinctive formations within brain cells called Lewy bodies. Dementia is a disorder in the brain that causes a progressive decline in memory and other intellectual functions. There are also behavioral changes and physical consequences. Symptoms of Lewy body dementia often resemble those of Alzheimer’s disease. However, people with Lewy body dementia commonly tend to have muscular stiffness and poor balance due to problems in the central nervous system more than do those who have Alzheimer’s disease. Gradually they become unable to perform the usual activities of daily life and eventually are incapacitated. Lewy bodies are sometimes found in the brains of people who have Alzheimer’s disease or Parkinson disease.