LEWY-BODY DISEASE - CLINICOPATHOLOGICAL CORRELATIONS IN 18 CONSECUTIVE CASES OF PARKINSONS-DISEASE WITH AND WITHOUT DEMENTIA

One of the characteristic histological features of Parkinson's disease (PD), with or without dementia, is the presence of Lewy bodies (LBs) in the brainstem and neocortical and limbic structures. They are often accompanied by Alzheimer type pathology (ATP). In the present retrosp ective study the clinical features and post-mortem findings of 18 cons ecutive and unselected PD patients were compared, with special referen ce to the frequent but not exclusive association of LBs with ATP in Le wy body disease (LED). LED is the term applied to a particular pattern of neuronal degeneration associated with LBs. In this study of idiopa thic PD patients ATP seems to be the major determinant of the cognitiv e decline in most patients. Cortical Lewy Bodies (CLBs) were present i n all patients reviewed, whether or not dementia was present. It was n ot possible to distinguish a specific pattern in the cognitive or psyc hopathological symptoms of dementia that would differentiate LED from Alzheimer's disease (AD). Although in most cases hippocampal CA2-3 ubi quitin immunoreactive neurites were observed, here again there was no correlation with the presence of dementia.