What causes lewy body dementia?
At present there is no known generic cause of dementia with lewy bodies and no risk factors have been identified. Lewy body dementia is an irreversible brain disease associated with protein deposits called lewy bodies. Lewy bodies appear in deteriorating nerve cells and are often found in damaged regions deep within the brains of persons with Parkinson’s disease. When lewy bodies exist in other areas of the brain, such as in the cortex, a dementia syndrome occurs with symptoms similar to those of Alzheimer’s disease. Lewy body dementia is caused by abnormal microscopic deposits of protein in nerve cells, called lewy bodies, which destroy the cells over time. These deposits can cause symptoms typical of Parkinson disease, such as tremor and muscle rigidity, as well as dementia similar to that of Alzheimer disease. Lewy body dementia is more likely, however, to affect thinking, attention, and concentration than memory and language. Like Alzheimer disease, lewy body dementia is not revers
