Lewy Body Dementia

Contributed by: Dennis Fortier, President, Medical Care Corporation

While this blog strives to clarify the daily news about brain health, sometimes it serves best by simply "emphasizing" the news about brain health. A very well reported article about Lewy Body Dementia, published in the The New Old Age blog of the NYTimes, is worthy of such emphasis today.

Like Alzheimer's disease, Lewy Body disease is a debilitating brain disorder that impairs cognition and leads to dementia. However, because the symptoms are similar, it is often mis-diagnosed as Alzheimer's disease, and subsequently mis-treated.

A key difference between the two diseases is in their most typical initial symptoms: short term memory disruptions are most typical in Alzheimer's disease, whereas executive function (completing complex tasks) and visual/spatial abilities are most commonly the first impairments noted in Lewy Body disease.

Along with low awareness of Lewy Body disease, symptomatic similarities to Alzheimer's disease are two drivers of mis-diagnosis. Making matters worse, other common symptoms, such as rigidity and altered gait, sometimes lead to mis-diagnoses as Parkinson's disease.

Hopefully, with growing awareness and the formation of organizations like the Lewy Body Dementia Association, clinical efforts to correctly diagnose and treat this disease will continue to gain efficacy.

Deep Brain Stimulation for Parkinson's Disease

Contributed by: Dennis Fortier, President, Medical Care Corporation

A great overview article on deep brain stimulation (DBS) for the treatment of symptoms caused by Parkinson's disease was posted today at WebMD.

DBS is accomplished by implanting electrodes directly into the brain and a transmitting device below the collarbone.  The transmitter stimulates regular electrical impulses from the electrodes, which effectively "turn off" parts of the brain where many Parkinson's symptoms originate.  Among those symptoms most commonly improved by DBS are tremors, slow movement, rigidity, and problems with walking and balance.

This is an FDA approved procedure but is commonly reviewed with caution because scientists cannot convincingly explain how or why it works.  However, the data collected in carefully designed trials on real patients is very clear and very positive.

There are many considerations in the decision to undergo DBS as part of a treatment regimen.  After all, it requires surgery that includes incisions through the skull and into the chest, so it is not a minor procedure.  However, compared to alternative approaches that intentionally destroy brain tissue, this might be considered a less invasive approach.

The cited WebMD article is fairly comprehensive and touches on a wider summary of advantages and disadvantages.  I encourage you to click through and read more about it.