Overview
It has been estimated that 1.4 million people in the United States suffer from Lewy body dementia (LBD), including both dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) or Parkinson's disease with dementia (PDD). Patients with LBD suffer from cognitive decline, sometimes linked to Alzheimer's disease (AD), and the motor and behavioral changes seen in Parkinson's disease (PD). Unfortunately, the diagnosis of LBD can be difficult, particularly in those DLB patients that present with cognitive impairment prior to motor or marked behavioral changes. Biomarkers for LBD are few and their value in diagnosis, prognosis, and for treatment response is limited. Impediments to biomarker development in LBD have included small subject numbers, a lack of systematic patient characterization, and a failure to perform longitudinal follow up with autopsy.
We have established a consortium of 8 centers for the study of DLB with a large number of subjects enrolled who are completing systematic assessments including collection of biofluids, imaging data, and ultimately autopsy. Having recently received renewed funding for another 5 years, the DLB Consortium (DLBC) will continue to advance biomarker development and have the secondary benefit of creating an ongoing subject sample available for additional translational and therapeutic studies.
Contact Information:
James Leverenz, MD
CBHresearch@ccf.org
Funding Sources:
NIH 2U01NS100610-06, Dementia with Lewy Bodies Consortium, Leverenz (PI) 9/01/2022-8/31/2027.
Publications
Color Vision Impairment Differentiates Alzheimer Dementia From Dementia With Lewy Bodies. Flanigan, P. M., Khosravi, M. A., Leverenz, J. B., & Tousi, B. (2018). Journal Of Geriatric Psychiatry And Neurology, 31(2), 97-102. doi:10.1177/0891988718767579
Comparative sensitivity of the MoCA and Mattis Dementia Rating Scale-2 in Parkinson's disease. Hendershott, T. R., Zhu, D., Llanes, S., Zabetian, C. P., Quinn, J., Edwards, K. L., . . . Poston, K. L. (2019). Movement Disorders: Official Journal Of The Movement Disorder Society, 34(2), 285-291. doi:10.1002/mds.27575
Clinical drug development for dementia with Lewy bodies: past and present. Lee, G., Cummings, J., Decourt, B., Leverenz, J. B., & Sabbagh, M. N. (2019). Expert Opinion On Investigational Drugs, 28(11), 951-965. doi:10.1080/13543784.2019.1681398
Lewy Body Dementia Association's Research Centers of Excellence Program: Inaugural Meeting Proceedings. Peterson, B., Armstrong, M., Galasko, D., Galvin, J. E., Goldman, J., Irwin, D., . . . Boeve, B. (2019). Alzheimer's Research & Therapy, 11(1), 23.
Amygdala sign, a FDG-PET signature of dementia with Lewy Bodies. Pillai, J. A., Wu, G., Tousi, B., Larvie, M., Léger, G. C., & Leverenz, J. B. (2019). Parkinsonism & Related Disorders, 64, 300-303. doi:10.1016/j.parkreldis.2019.03.005
Clinical and Imaging Characteristics Associated with Color Vision Impairment in Lewy Body Disease. Unger, R. H., Flanigan, P. M., Khosravi, M., Leverenz, J. B., & Tousi, B. (2019). Journal Of Alzheimer's Disease: JAD. doi:10.3233/JAD-190727
Members & Collaborations
Cleveland Clinic
External Relationships and Collaborations
- Irene Litvan, MD, University of California, San Diego
- Douglas Galasko, MD, University of California, San Diego
- Jim Galvin, MD, Florida Atlantic University
- Jori Fleisher, MD, Rush University Medical Center
- Dan Kaufer, MD, University of North Carolina
- Carol Lippa, MD, Thomas Jefferson University
- David Irwin, MD, University of Pennsylvania
- Oscar Lopez, MD, University of Pittsburgh
- Sarah Berman, MD, PhD, University of Pittsburgh
- Debby Tsuang, MD, VA Puget Sound Health Care System/University of Washington
