Association between visual hallucinations and α-synuclein oligomers in patients with dementia with Lewy bodies.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Visual hallucinations (VHs) represent one of the core clinical features of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB); however, their underlying pathology remains unclear.

Methods

We employed proximity ligation assay (PLA) and phosphorylated α-synuclein (αSYN) immunohistochemistry to compare αSYN oligomers and Lewy-related pathology across brain regions along the ventral visual pathway in patients with and without VHs (five patients each).

Results

Greater αSYN oligomer burden in the parahippocampal cortex was observed in patients with VHs compared to those without (p = 0.041), whereas the burden of Lewy-related pathology was similar between groups.

Discussion

Our findings suggest that αSYN oligomers, rather than conventional Lewy-related pathology, may be mor

SUBMITTER: Sekiya H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12616884 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature