Dementia with Lewy bodies: unique genetic profile identified

Dementia with Lewy bodies has a unique genetic profile, distinct from those of Alzheimer's disease or Parkinson's disease, according to the first large-scale genetic study of this common type of dementia which was led by UCL. The genome-wide association study, conducted by a UCL-led collaboration of 65 academics in 11 countries and funded by Alzheimer's Society and the Lewy Body Society, is published today in The Lancet Neurology . "Dementia with Lewy bodies accounts for 10-15% of dementia cases, yet our understanding of it lags beyond the more well-known Alzheimer's disease, partly because it's commonly misdiagnosed. Our findings clarify the disease's distinctive genetic signature, which should, in the future, help improve clinical trials, and lead to more targeted treatments," said the study's lead author, Dr Jose Bras (UCL Institute of Neurology). The research team genotyped 1,743 patients with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) - including both clinical samples and 1,324 pathological samples assessed post-mortem - and 4,454 controls. Two of the genetic loci that were found to be significantly associated with DLB, APOE and GBA, bore the same associations to DLB as they do to Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, respectively. Another one of the loci identified, SNCA, is also associated with Parkinson's, but differently - the researchers found that a different part of the gene is linked to DLB.