Affiliations: [a]
Department of Neurology, Seoul National University College of Medicine and Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam-si, Republic of Korea
| [b]
Department of Neurology, Veterans Medical Research Institute, Veterans Health Service Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| [c]
Department of Neurology, Chung-Ang University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
Correspondence:
[*]
Correspondence to: SangYun Kim, MD, PhD, Department of Neurology, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, 82, Gumi-ro 173 Beon-gil, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do 13620, Korea. Tel.: +82 31 787 7462; Fax: +82 31 787 4059; E-mail: neuroksy@snu.ac.kr.
Note: [1] Abstract for this project was submitted and presented at the EAN in Lisbon, Portugal in June 2018.
Abstract: Background:Although dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is a degenerative disease involving irreversible pathological changes and subsequent progressive cognitive decline, some patients have presented with improved cognitive function at follow-ups. Their clinical and neuropsychological characteristics and the factors influencing this improvement remain unclear. Objective:To investigate differences in clinical and neuropsychological characteristics between DLB patients with and without cognitive improvement at a one-year follow-up, and to identify predictive factors of cognitive improvement. Methods:This retrospective study included 60 DLB patients, 28 patients in the improved group, and 32 patients in the non-improved group. A multiple linear regression model was used to compare changes in cognitive function test scores between groups over the course of one year. Binary logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the odds ratios (ORs) of depressive symptoms as a predictor for cognitive improvement. Results:The improved group showed significant increases in immediate and delayed verbal memory function in one year over the non-improved group. We also found that baseline depressive symptoms were associated with an increased probability of cognitive improvement (OR 1.234, CI 1.043– 1.460). Conclusion:Depressive symptoms at baseline were related to a higher probability of a cognitive improvement at one-year follow-up. In addition, immediate and delayed verbal memory function showed significant improvement during one year in improved patients compared to non-improved patients.
Keywords: Cognitive improvement, dementia with Lewy bodies, depressive symptoms
