Core features of Lewy body dementia

 
   Lead Investigator:    Angela Salemi
   Institution      :    Columbia University Medical Center
   E-Mail           :    aps2200@cumc.columbia.edu
   Proposal ID      :    1094



   Proposal Description:
   The first aim of the study is to determine which clinical feature(s) from the 'Dementia with Lewy body Clinical Diagnostic Criteria' are associated with a neuropathologically-confirmed Lewy body dementia (LBD) diagnosis, when compared to an Alzheimer?s disease diagnosis. The purpose of the study is to assess the diagnostic value of each feature, and combinations of features, when differentiating LBD from AD. The second aim of the study is to investigate the relation between cognitive deficits (known as essential features per the diagnostic criteria) and the core features in subjects with LBD. Participants will be grouped into two different categories: post-mortem LBD diagnosis (i.e., subjects with Lewy body pathology) and post-mortem AD diagnosis (i.e., AD diagnosis by CERAD criteria without Lewy body pathology). I will investigate essential, core, and supportive features outlined in the criteria for the clinical diagnosis of DLB, as independent variables and compare these in the two groups. Cognitive domains will be assessed utilizing neurocognitive assessments. Core features (i.e., visual hallucinations, REM sleep behavior disorder, parkinsonism, and fluctuating cognition), as well as supportive features, will be measured utilizing items from the last two interviews and neurologic examinations before death.