UC Riverside

Diffuse Lewy body disease, also called dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), is defined as progressive dementia and pathological Lewy bodies distributed in the central and autonomic nervous systems. The clinical features are dementia, cognitive fluctuations, visual hallucinations, parkinsonism, and REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD). Confirmatory techniques include dopamine transporter imaging, meta-iodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) myocardial scintigraphy, and polysomnography. The pathology finding in DLB is misfolded alpha-synuclein, the main component of Lewy bodies, propagating in the central nervous system. This may interrupt the acetylcholine pathway and activate an inflammatory response. Mutations of several genes have been found in patients with DLB, including SNCA, GBA, and APOE. The differential diagnosis of DLB and Parkinson's disease with dementia (PDD) is a debated issue. Clinical features distinguishing DLB from PDD include the timing of dementia and visual hallucinations, responses to dopaminergic agents and anti-psychotics, and imaging findings. As to the management of DLB, cholinesterase inhibitors are the Level-A recommendation for treating dementia in DLB patients and also are beneficial for treating visual hallucinations and psychotic symptoms. Dopamine agonists have the risk of inducing psychotic symptoms, while levodopa should be used carefully for motor symptoms. Melatonin and clonazepam are effective in controlling RBD. Several other treatment methods are undergoing trials, including pimavanserine, nilotinib, psychological interventions, and behavior therapy.