Lewy body disease is a serious brain disorder that affects thinking, movement, and memory. It is the second most common cause of dementia after Alzheimer’s disease.
Even though many people have never heard of it, Lewy body disease is a key part of two well-known illnesses: Parkinson’s disease and Lewy body dementia.
The disease is named after small clumps of protein called Lewy bodies, which form in the brain. These clumps are made from a protein called alpha-synuclein that has folded the wrong way. When too many Lewy bodies build up, they get in the way of how the brain works.
This can lead to trouble remembering things, problems with thinking, or difficulty moving. Depending on which symptoms appear first, a person may be diagnosed with either Parkinson’s or Lewy body dementia. But both share the same root cause: Lewy bodies in the brain.
In the past, the only way to confirm if someone had Lewy body disease was by examining the brain after death. This made it very hard to diagnose the condition early or to start treatment before serious brain damage had occurred. But now, scientists from Lund University in Sweden have made a major breakthrough.
They have created a test that can spot Lewy body disease even before any symptoms start. The test looks at the fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord, called cerebrospinal fluid.
This fluid often carries early warning signs of brain disease. In their study, the researchers examined samples from over 1,100 people who were healthy and had no problems with memory or movement.
Surprisingly, about 10% of these people already had signs of Lewy bodies in their brain fluid. This means the disease had started quietly, without any noticeable symptoms.
Over time, many of these individuals began to show signs of memory loss or thinking problems, and some were later diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease or Lewy body dementia. This shows that the test can detect the disease several years before symptoms appear.
Another interesting finding was that many people who had early signs of Lewy body disease also had a poor sense of smell. Even though they felt fine otherwise, their trouble smelling things seemed to be an early warning sign.
Because of this, the scientists suggest that people over age 60 take a simple smell test. If they have problems with it, they could then get the spinal fluid test to check for Lewy body disease.
This discovery gives new hope. Researchers around the world are working on drugs to slow or stop Lewy body disease. These treatments will work best if they are given early—before the brain is seriously damaged. This new test could make early treatment possible.
The study also found that some people with Lewy body disease also had brain proteins linked to Alzheimer’s disease. These people’s conditions got worse more quickly. This could help doctors predict how fast the disease will progress in each person.
The team from Sweden is hopeful that one day there could be a blood test for Lewy body disease, just like there is for Alzheimer’s. While this is more difficult, because the disease proteins are harder to find in the blood, scientists believe it can be done.
This research offers real hope. Finding brain diseases early could help protect memory, independence, and quality of life for millions of people.
If you care about dementia, please read studies about low choline intake linked to higher dementia risk, and how eating nuts can affect your cognitive ability.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies that blueberry supplements may prevent cognitive decline, and results showing higher magnesium intake could help benefit brain health.
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