Severity of neuropsychiatric symptoms and dopamine transporter levels in dementia with Lewy bodies: A 123
I-FP-CIT SPECT study

ObjectiveTo investigate the relationship between β-amyloid (Aβ) deposition and striatal dopamine depletion, cognitive functions, and neuropsychiatric symptoms in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB).MethodsWe consecutively recruited 51 patients with DLB who had undergone a neuropsychological test, Neuropsychiatric Inventory assessment, brain MRI, N-(3-[18F]fluoropropyl)-2β-carbon ethoxy-3β-(4-iodophenyl) PET, and 18F-florbetaben PET within 6 months. The patients were divided into Aβ-negative (DLB-Aβ−, n = 20) and Aβ-positive (DLB-Aβ+, n = 31) groups according to the brain amyloid plaque load score. We performed comparative analyses of dopamine transporter (DAT) activity, neuropsychological profile, and neuropsychiatric symptoms between the 2 groups.ResultsCompared to the DLB-Aβ− group, the DLB-Aβ+ group had a younger age at diagnosis (p = 0.017), poorer performance in attention (p = 0.028) and visuospatial (p = 0.006) functions, and higher proportion of anxiety (p = 0.006) and total neuropsychiatric burden (p = 0.013). Those in the DLB-Aβ+ group also had lower DAT activity in the anterior putamen (p = 0.015) and ventral striatum (p = 0.006) regardless of age, sex, and years of education. In addition, lower DAT activity in the ventral striatum was significantly associated with anxiety and total neuropsychiatric burden in DLB.ConclusionsThis study demonstrated that Aβ deposition in DLB is associated with diagnosis at a younger age, higher cognitive and neuropsychiatric burden, and decreased DAT activity, suggesting that evaluation of clinical features and DAT activity can predict the presence of Aβ in DLB.

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Prodromal Dementia With Lewy Bodies: Evolution of Symptoms and Predictors of Dementia Onset

Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology ◽

10.1177/08919887211023586 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 089198872110235

Author(s):

Kathryn A. Wyman-Chick ◽

Lauren R. O’Keefe ◽

Daniel Weintraub ◽

Melissa J. Armstrong ◽

Michael Rosenbloom ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Clinical Features ◽

Dementia With Lewy Bodies ◽

Clinical Symptoms ◽

Neuropsychiatric Symptoms ◽

Lewy Bodies ◽

Rem Sleep Behavior Disorder ◽

Data Set ◽

Wide Range ◽

Prodromal Dementia ◽

Dementia Onset

Background: Research criteria for prodromal dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) were published in 2020, but little is known regarding prodromal DLB in clinical settings. Methods: We identified non-demented participants without neurodegenerative disease from the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center Uniform Data Set who converted to DLB at a subsequent visit. Prevalence of neuropsychiatric and motor symptoms were examined up to 5 years prior to DLB diagnosis. Results: The sample included 116 participants clinically diagnosed with DLB and 348 age and sex-matched (1:3) Healthy Controls. Motor slowing was present in approximately 70% of participants 3 years prior to DLB diagnosis. In the prodromal phase, 50% of DLB participants demonstrated gait disorder, 70% had rigidity, 20% endorsed visual hallucinations, and over 50% of participants endorsed REM sleep behavior disorder. Apathy, depression, and anxiety were common prodromal neuropsychiatric symptoms. The presence of 1+ core clinical features of DLB in combination with apathy, depression, or anxiety resulted in the greatest AUC (0.815; 95% CI: 0.767, 0.865) for distinguishing HC from prodromal DLB 1 year prior to diagnosis. The presence of 2+ core clinical features was also accurate in differentiating between groups (AUC = 0.806; 95% CI: 0.756, 0.855). Conclusion: A wide range of motor, neuropsychiatric and other core clinical symptoms are common in prodromal DLB. A combination of core clinical features, neuropsychiatric symptoms and cognitive impairment can accurately differentiate DLB from normal aging prior to dementia onset.

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