Lewy Body Dementia

A slowly progressive brain disorder that shares characteristics with both Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. The central feature of the condition is progressive cognitive decline, combined with three additional defining features: pronounced "fluctuations" in alertness and attention such as frequent drowsiness, lethargy, lengthy periods of time spent staring into space, or disorganized speech; recurrent visual hallucinations; and parkinsonian motor symptoms such as rigidity and the loss of spontaneous movement. People may also suffer from depression. The symptoms are caused by the build-up of Lewy bodies (accumulated deposits of alpha-synuclein protein) inside the nuclei of neurons in areas of the brain that control particular aspects of memory and motor control. There is no cure or definitive treatment for Lewy body dementia.