Lewy body disease may not be a well-known condition, but it causes two serious brain disorders—Parkinson’s disease and Lewy body dementia.
These illnesses affect a person’s ability to move and think clearly, and they can lead to serious health problems.
This disease is caused by abnormal clumps of protein called Lewy bodies building up in the brain. Until now, doctors could only confirm someone had this disease after death by looking at brain tissue.
But a team of scientists at Lund University in Sweden has made an important breakthrough. They have found a way to detect Lewy body disease in living people by testing the fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord.
The researchers tested this new method on more than 1,100 healthy people who had no memory or movement problems. Surprisingly, they found signs of Lewy bodies in about 10% of them. This means that the disease may begin long before any symptoms show up.
The team also found a strong link between Lewy body disease and a poor sense of smell. Many of the people who tested positive for Lewy bodies had already lost some of their ability to smell, even though they didn’t have other symptoms.
This could be a big clue for early diagnosis. For example, if someone over 60 years old has trouble smelling, they could take this test on their brain fluid to check for signs of the disease. Catching it early could help doctors treat it before it gets worse.
Right now, scientists are working on new medicines to slow or stop the disease. These treatments work best when given early, before the brain is badly damaged. That’s why early diagnosis is so important.
The study also found that some people with Lewy bodies also had proteins linked to Alzheimer’s disease. This information can help doctors predict how the disease might progress in each patient.
Although this new test is promising, researchers say that making a blood test for Lewy body disease will be harder. That’s because the protein levels in blood are much lower than in brain fluid.
Still, this is a major step forward. Being able to detect the disease early gives hope to people who may develop Parkinson’s or Lewy body dementia. It can also help scientists better understand these brain diseases and work on better treatments.
If you care about Parkinson’s disease, please read studies that Vitamin B may slow down cognitive decline, and Mediterranean diet could help lower risk of Parkinson’s.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies that blueberry supplements may prevent cognitive decline, and results showing Plant-based diets could protect cognitive health from air pollution.
This exciting research was published in the top science journal Nature Medicine.
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