Dementia - Lewy Body Flashcards
What is the incidence of lewy-body dementia?
1 - 2 cases per 100,000
2 - 20 cases per 100,000
3 - 200 cases per 100,000
4 - 2000 cases per 100,000
2 - 20 cases per 100,000
Effects men and women equally
What age does the incidence of lewy body dementia typically peak?
1 - >70
2 - >60
3 - >50
4 - >40
1 - >70
In lewy body dementia is their more short term memory loss or a progressive cognitive impairment?
1 - progressive cognitive impairment
Memory impairment is more Alzheimer’s
In lewy body dementia does cognitive impairment continue to decline or can it fluctuate?
- fluctuate
Only form of dementia where cognition fluctuates
Lewy body dementia and Parkinsons disease can occur together. Which one typically occurs 1st?
- Lewy body dementia
Are visual hallucinations (other features such as delusions and non-visual hallucinations) common in patients with Lewy body dementia?
- yes
Lewy body = new hallucinations
Old depressed = old pets or spouses
Which of the following are clinical features that patients with with Lewy body dementia present with?
1 - cognitive ability fluctuates
2 - some sparing of memory
3 - Parkinsonism
4 - visual hallucinations
5 - falls
6 - depression
7 - all of the above
7 - all of the above
How can a-synuclein, a normal protein in the brain that is involved in synaptic vesicles trafficking and regulation of neurotransmitter release cause lewy bodies?
1 - clump together forming plaques that build up around synapses causing neuronal cell death
2 - mis-folded form of a-synuclein aggregate around synapse causing neuronal cell death
3 - excessive levels inhibit neurotransmitter release despite action potential
4 - binds to vesicles and inhibits vesicle binding to pre-synapse membrane
2 - mis-folded form of a-synuclein aggregate around synapse causing neuronal cell death
- the aggregates of misfolded protein are called Lewy bodies
- lewy bodies can cause neurons to die
There are 2 types of dementia (that we need to know about) that are associated with lewy bodies (misfolded a-synuclien), what are these?
1 - Parkinsons disease dementia and dementia with lewy bodies
2 - Lewy body dementia and Alzheimers disease
3 - Alzheimers disease and Parkinsons disease
4 - Vascular dementia and Lewy body dementia
1 - Parkinsons disease dementia and dementia with lewy bodies
Dementia with Lewy bodies and Parkinson’s disease dementia are both linked with abnormal folding of a-synuclein, which then aggregate and forms Lewy bodies. Where in the brain do these lewy bodies generally begin forming?
1 - motor cortex
2 - basal ganglia
3 - thalamus
4 - occipital lobe
2 - basal ganglia
- can also then move to the cortex, which then affects cognition
When we investigate patients with dementia with Lewy bodies, it is very difficult to be able to determine where the build up of lewy bodies (aggregates of a-synuclein misfolded proteins) is in the brain and therefore make a diagnosis until post mortem. What else can be used to help diagnose?
- MRI/CT scans = may show atrophy or be normal
- Single-photon emission computed tomography may be able to identify where the lewy bodies are or the atrophy of the involved receptors are
Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging using a ligand for dopamine transporter proteins can be used to detect atrophy of dopamine receptors. This can help identify if a patients symptoms are due to dementia with lewy bodies (cortical) or parkinsons dementia disease (sub-cortical), due to where is affected in the brain. In the image below, which is Alzheimers?
- 1
- can see atrophy in hippocampus
- large dark spaces in cortical area and ventricles
- uptake of ligand in caudate putamen (involved in motor control, cognition, and emotion)
Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging using a ligand for dopamine transporter proteins can be used to detect atrophy of dopamine receptors. This can help identify if a patients symptoms are due to dementia with lewy bodies (cortical) or parkinsons dementia disease (sub-cortical), due to where is affected in the brain. In the image below, which is dementia with Lewy bodies?
- 2
- some atrophy of cortical area
- no significant hippocampus atrophy
- poor uptake by the caudate putamen (motor control, cognition, and emotion)
What is the life expectancy of a patient with Lewy body dementia?
1 - 4-10 years
2 - 5-15 years
3 - 10-20 years
4 - >20 years
1 - 4-10 years
Which class of drugs is the 1st line treatment for patients with Lewy body dementia?
1 - acetylcholinesterases
2 - dopamine agonists
3 - Catechol-O-methyltransferase inhibitor (COMT) inhibitors
4 - NMDA receptor antagonist
1 - acetylcholinesterases
- donepezil and rivastigmine
4 - NMDA receptor antagonist
- Memantine
These are used in same way as they are for Alzheimers