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Dementia with Lewy Bodies – Symptoms, Diagnosis and Interventions

Dementia with Lewy Bodies - Symptoms, Diagnosis and Interventions

Dementia with Lewy Bodies (LBD) is known known to be another major cause of Dementia. Being relatively less prevalent than Alzheimer’s, it has not typically attracted as much research in the past. However, LBD has been gaining interest in research and here we look at some of the more recent research findings when it comes of Lewy Bodies Dementia.

Symptoms of DLB

The major symptoms of LBD are decline and fluctuations in cognitive functioning, movement problems similar to Parkinson’s disease, and advanced visual hallucinations.

Recent research suggests that individuals with LBD have a slower reaction time. Reaction time is the time taken for a person to respond or act that people with LBD take longer to react or respond. While this is common as a movement symptom in Parkinson’s Disease, it affects people with LBD in more ways.

Their speed of processing information (understanding what is going on) is also slowed down leading to increased time taken, or reaction time. Another valid reason for this increases reaction time is their reduced and fluctuating attention.

What’s going on in the brain?

Lewy Body Dementia is a form of dementia that has symptoms of both Alzheimer’s Dementia and Parkinson’s disease. This combination of cognitive decline with movement difficulties can make management and care more challenging.

In the brain of a person with dementia, there are spots and threads of the deposits of protein ‘alpha-synuclein’ that is also found in the brains of individuals with Parkinson’s disease.

Alzheimer disease hallmark is tangles of tau protein and clumps of amyloid-beta protein. These have also commonly been found in the brains of individuals with Lewy Bodies.

Dr. Rita Guerreiro and Dr. Jose Bras have recently been successful in identifying genetic factors that increase the chances of having LBD. To identify these they sampled 5778 people and checked 8.3 million genetic factors for them. Their sample was based out of 10 countries and had 1324 individuals with LBD in it. This revelation can help people identify if they are at risk and take early precautions for prevention such as an active lifestyle, social interactions, quitting smoking, etc.

Diagnosing LBD

Diagnosis LBD can sometimes be a difficult task especially since different forms of dementia have overlapping symptoms. Mostly, a diagnosis is based on clinical symptoms.

An earlier research has shown that FP-CIT SPECT scans can make the diagnosis of DLB more accurate rather than relying alone on clinical symptoms. SPECT is Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography is a nuclear imaging technique that uses gamma rays. In this research they compared the accuracy of a clinical diagnosis with the accuracy of SPECT by following up with the patients over 10 years and conducting an autopsy to confirm the diagnosis. They found out that SPECT was a lot more accurate than a clinical diagnosis that is based primarily on symptoms. Many other researchers have explored the benefits of the SPECT scan.

Interventions for LBD

Non-pharmacological interventions that have been of interest to researchers include arts therapy, exercise programs, music therapy and aromatherapy. Other important interventions include mental and social engagement that have been well documented for dementia overall. More research is needed to be done for Lewy Body Dementia to better understand and implement interventions for people who suffer from it.

References

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/hbm.23866

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/1217/151217-dementia-with-lewy-bodies-profile-identified

http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/early/2007/03/12/jnnp.2006.110122.short

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/acn3.521

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/psychological-medicine/article/nonpharmacological-interventions-for-lewy-body-dementia-a-systematic-review/1FD0DAA2FBFA2E6468EA2A0B8232796E

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29143695

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4892610/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4892610/

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/international-psychogeriatrics/article/systematic-review-of-the-efficacy-of-nonpharmacological-interventions-in-people-with-lewy-body-dementia/8E42B7714B52B4A57D8BCEFDE8082249


We at Samvedna Care aim to help seniors live happy, active and independent lives, in the comfort of their home and community through interactive caregiving.

Samvedna Care was established in October 2013 with two complementary goals – firstly to provide quality home care services to seniors with limited mobility or dementia and hence social interaction, and secondly to facilitate stimulating community interaction and participation.

Our Dementia Care services are

At-home services –
Dementia intervention activities by trained Care Specialists (already mentioned above). These services are available in Delhi NCR
More – Dementia Care
Please call us for more info – Delhi NCR – 98184 21446, 124 4229659

Dementia Cafe, Sector 57 Gurgaon –
From initial stage to advanced stage, all individuals with dementia feel the need for social interaction at times. Our Dementia Cafe is a safe and friendly place for your loved one with dementia to chill and socialize. The cafe is aplace where they will find a fun activity, a warm chair and companionship. Every Tuesday and Thursday, 11-1PM.

Cognitive Wellness Programme, Sector 57  Gurgaon  –
Samvedna’s Cognitive Wellness Programme is designed for seniors with mild cognitive impairment, early dementia or Parkinson’s,and elderly lacking in enthusiasm and motivation. The aim is to stimulate the mind of the elderly to slow the progression of the disease or impairment. The sessions are 3 days a week – Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 11AM-1PM.

Dementia Support Group –

Our Dementia Support group in Delhi NCR and Guwahati is a platform for caregivers to share feelings and support each other.
Please call us for more info – Delhi NCR – 98184 21446, 124 4229659

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