Cholinergic degeneration and early cognitive signs in prodromal Lewy body dementia.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Isolated REM sleep behavior disorder (iRBD) is a strong prodromal marker of Lewy body diseases (LBDs) - Parkinson's disease (PD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). Cholinergic loss is linked to cognitive decline in these conditions, but its trajectory remains unclear.

Methods

In a cohort of 92 iRBD participants with baseline MRI, cholinergic basal forebrain (cBF) volume was measured, with longitudinal changes analyzed in 49 with follow-up scans. Cross-sectional neuropsychological associations were examined across a broader RBD-LBD continuum, including the iRBD cohort plus 65 PD and 15 DLB patients with probable RBD.

Results

cBF volume declined at comparable rates in iRBD-to-PD and iRBD-to-DLB converters, but atrophy was more severe at DLB phenoconversio

SUBMITTER: Woo KA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11846479 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature