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  Vol. 59 No. 10, October 2002 TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Familial Dementia With Lewy Bodies

A Clinical and Neuropathological Study of 2 Families

Debby W. Tsuang, MD, MSc; Aaron M. Dalan, BS; Charisma J. Eugenio, BS; Parvonah Poorkaj, PhD; Pornprot Limprasert, MD, PhD; Albert R. La Spada, MD, PhD; Ellen J. Steinbart, RN, MA; Thomas D. Bird, MD; James B. Leverenz, MD

Arch Neurol. 2002;59:1622-1630.

Background  Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is characterized by early dementia and associated visual hallucinations, parkinsonism, and fluctuations in cognition. Few families with DLB have been described with detailed clinical, pathological, and genetic assessments.

Objective  To investigate the clinical, neuropathological, and genetic characteristics of families with 2 or more autopsy-proven cases of DLB.

Design  Consecutive cases with the neuropathological diagnosis of DLB were reviewed as part of a case series. Families included in this study have 2 or more autopsy-proven cases of DLB available and a positive family history of dementia. We obtained clinical and neuropathological data on all first-degree relatives. Neuropathological evaluations included {alpha}-synuclein immunostaining for Lewy body detection. We conducted apolipoprotein E genotyping and sequenced the {alpha}-, ß-, {gamma}-synuclein, and parkin genes.

Setting  Subjects were selected from the neuropathology core of the University of Washington's Alzheimer's Disease Research Center.

Patients  The study investigated 2 families. Clinical information was obtained from 10 individuals in family 1 and 7 individuals in family 2. Neuropathological examinations were conducted in 3 individuals in family 1 and 2 individuals in family 2.

Main Outcome Measures  Each subject was examined for the presence of clinical symptoms and neuropathological findings consistent with DLB.

Results  While all affected individuals presented with dementia in both families, only individuals in family 1 developed visual hallucinations and delusions. Parkinsonism, if present, occurred later in the course of illness. Neuropathological examination revealed Lewy bodies in all patients, while 1 patient from each family also met the neuropathological criteria for Alzheimer disease. All affected individuals carried at least 1 APOE (apolipoprotein E) {epsilon}4 allele, while there were no nucleotide alterations in the synuclein or parkin genes.

Conclusions  Familial DLB exists, although there is substantial clinical and neuropathological heterogeneity within and between families. Additional clinicopathologic and genetic studies are necessary to further our understanding of DLB.


From the Department of Veterans Affairs Northwest Network Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (Drs Tsuang and Leverenz and Ms Eugenio) and the Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center, VA Puget Sound Health Care System (Drs Poorkaj and Bird and Ms Steinbart); the Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Drs Tsuang and Leverenz), Neurology (Drs La Spada, Bird, and Leverenz and Ms Steinbart), Laboratory Medicine (Drs Limprasert and La Spada), and Internal Medicine (Drs Poorkaj and La Spada), and the School of Medicine (Mr Dalan), University of Washington; and the Parkinson's Disease Research, Education, and Clinical Center (Dr Leverenz), Seattle, Wash.



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