Affiliations: Department of Psychology, University of Liverpool,
UK | The Walton Centre for Neurology and Neurosurgery,
Liverpool, UK
Note: [] Corresponding author: John Joseph Downes Ph.D., Department of
Psychology, University of Liverpool, Eleanor Rathbone Building, Bedford Street
South, Liverpool L69 7ZA, UK; E-mail: down@liverpool.ac.uk.
Abstract: Both Parkinson's disease (PD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB)
share a common neuropathological marker, the presence of Lewy bodies in brain
stem and basal forebrain nuclei. DLB, in addition, is associated with Lewy
bodies in the neocortex, and, in it's more common form, with Alzheimer-type
pathological markers, particularly amyloid plaques. Published
neuropsychological studies have focused on the differential profiles of DLB and
Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, it is presently unclear whether DLB should
be classified as a variant of AD or PD. In the present study we compare a
healthy age-matched control group with three groups of patients, one with DLB,
and two with PD. One of the PD groups was early in the course (PD-E) and the
second, more advanced group (PD-A), was matched on severity of cognitive
impairment with the DLB group. The results show that DLB was associated with a
different pattern of neuropsychological impairment than the PD-A group,
particularly in tests believed to be mediated by prefrontal cortical
regions.
