Scientists in Sweden have made a major discovery that could change how we find and treat Lewy body disease, one of the top causes of dementia.
Until now, doctors could only confirm this disease after a person had passed away. But thanks to a team at Lund University, it may now be possible to detect the disease while the person is still alive.
Lewy body disease causes serious problems with movement and memory. It leads to two well-known conditions—Lewy body dementia and Parkinson’s disease. In people with this disease, clumps of abnormal proteins, called Lewy bodies, build up in the brain and cause damage.
The exciting breakthrough from Lund University involves a special test that checks the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord. This fluid is called cerebrospinal fluid. When the researchers used this test on over 1,100 healthy people, they discovered that nearly 10% had signs of Lewy bodies—even though they showed no symptoms.
This means doctors may now be able to find the disease early, possibly before any memory or movement problems begin. Early detection can make a huge difference.
One of the most interesting findings from the study was the link between Lewy body disease and the sense of smell. People who tested positive for Lewy bodies already had trouble smelling things—even before other symptoms appeared.
Because of this, the researchers suggest that adults over 60 should take a simple smell test. If they perform poorly, they could get a follow-up test using spinal fluid to check for Lewy body disease.
Finding this disease early is very important. Scientists are working on new medicines that might slow down or stop the disease. But for these treatments to work, doctors need to catch the illness before too much damage is done. This test could help make that possible.
The study also found that some people with Lewy body disease had signs of Alzheimer’s disease, too. This information could help doctors better understand how the disease will progress and what treatments might work best.
Looking ahead, the team hopes to develop a blood test for Lewy body disease. But that may take more time, since the proteins they are looking for are found in much lower amounts in the blood than in spinal fluid.
Still, this discovery brings new hope. It opens the door to earlier diagnosis, better treatment options, and possibly a brighter future for people with brain diseases.
If you care about brain health, please read studies about inflammation that may actually slow down cognitive decline in older people, and low vitamin D may speed up cognitive decline.
For more health information, please see recent studies about common exercises that could protect against cognitive decline, and results showing that this MIND diet may protect your cognitive function, prevent dementia.
The study was published in Nature Medicine.
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