Home > Encyclopedia of Neurological Disorders > Lewy Body Dementia

Definition

Lewy body dementia (LBD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that can occur in persons older than 65 years of age, which typically causes symptoms of cognitive (thinking) impairment and abnormal behavioral changes.

Description

The condition was first described by Frederick Lewy in 1941 when he described Lewy bodies, which are abnormal inclusions in the cytoplasm (components of a cell outside the nucleus) of cells found in patients who had Parkinson's disease (PD). There is some controversy concerning the relationship between Lewy body dementia and Parkinson's disease. When cognitive impairment and behavioral disturbance are early and prominent symptoms, then LBD is the likely diagnosis. When motor symptoms are the predominant and early...