The Lewy Body Study - an observational study that will assess the changes that occur in memory and thinking skills and changes that occur in the body of 100 participants with dementia with Lewy bodies over a 3 year period.

None listed

Lewy body diseases are a common form of neurodegenerative disorders which includes Parkinson’s disease (PD), Parkinson’s disease dementia (PDD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). DLB and PDD are both termed Lewy body dementias, with many overlaps clinically and pathologically. Lewy body dementias also share many features with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Dementia with Lewy bodies is a common form of dementia in older age (approximately 1 in 6 of all dementia cases), However there are very few longitudinal studies that investigate the changes that occur in the brain and in the body of people with DLB. People with DLB have an abnormal accumulation of the protein alpha-synuclein in their brain which may affect memory, thinking, behaviour, mood and movement. Many cases of DLB have multiple changes in brain pathology, such as vascular disease changes, or the accumulation of other proteins, such as amyloid and tau, that are found in Alzheimer’s disease. However it is not known what effect these changes have when there are also Lewy bodies present. In order to understand the disease process and offer potentially effective treatments in the future, these changes need to be investigated. The Lewy Body Study will establish an Australian cohort of 100 individuals diagnosed with DLB and follow them over the course of 3 years to investigate factors which may help to predict disease outcomes, and which may lead to effective treatments being available in the future. As comparison groups, 20 people diagnosed with PDD, 20 people diagnosed with AD and 20 healthy control participants will also be enrolled. So that the rate of disease changes can be monitored DLB participants will undergo clinical and cognitive (memory and thinking) assessments and health related questionnaires, a blood test and brain MRI scans every 12 months; and optional brain PET imaging scans. There is also an opportunity for participants to undergo cerebrospinal fluid collection (optional). DLB is currently widely under-diagnosed. The Lewy Body Study will provide the largest depository of DLB disease related data in Australia that will be made available to approved researchers both nationally and internationally to help further dementia research. We aim to establish whether there are any disease biomarkers (genetic, blood, imaging, cognitive) which may help improve the diagnosis rate of DLB which may in turn improve the treatments and outcomes for those diagnosed with this disease.

No related papers found yet.