Summary: A new study reveals that Lewy body disease, a major neurodegenerative disorder second only to Alzheimer’s, may start developing in individuals as early as middle age, well before symptoms manifest.
Utilizing unique Finnish forensic autopsy data, the study found markers of the disease in 9% of individuals over 50 without any clinical diagnosis of Parkinson’s or Lewy body disease. This discovery underscores the potential prevalence of Lewy body disease among middle-aged people and highlights the importance of early detection for effective treatment.
Key Facts:
- Early Onset: Lewy body disease changes can start developing in individuals over 50, much earlier than previously recognized.
- Unique Study: This is the first study to investigate Lewy body disease markers in young and middle-aged subjects without a known diagnosis, using Finnish forensic autopsy data.
- Implications for Treatment: Early diagnosis could significantly enhance treatment efficacy for degenerative brain diseases, making the findings crucial for future therapeutic approaches.
Source: University of Helsinki
Lewy body disease is the second most common brain degenerative disease after Alzheimer’s disease. Lewy bodies, deposits of alpha-synuclein protein, are found in the brainstem, limbic system and cerebral cortex. Similar tissue changes are also seen in patients clinically diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
Lewy body disease can be difficult to recognise at the beginning of the disease, as it progresses slowly. Symptoms often include movement disturbances, memory problems and psychiatric symptoms.
In their recent study, researchers from the Universities of Helsinki and Tampere investigated for the first time, the occurrence of Lewy body disease markers in young and middle-aged subjects who were not known to suffer from Lewy body or Parkinson’s diseases. Previous similar studies have investigated the occurrence of the disease markers in people over 60 years old.
The researchers found that Lewy body disease changes may begin to develop in the brain already in middle age, even if there are no actual symptoms yet.
“Our findings indicate that Lewy body disease may be more common in people over 50 than previously thought. In the study, we found disease changes in nine percent of people over 50 who did not have a clinical diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease or Lewy body disease. However, further studies are needed to confirm the results,” says Associate Professor Liisa Myllykangas from the University of Helsinki.
Earlier diagnosis means more effective treatment
In their study, the researchers used internationally unique Finnish forensic autopsy data, which consists of approximately 600 people aged 16–95 who died outside hospitals.
Myllykangas says that in the future the treatments developed against degenerative brain diseases will be aimed at patients who are in the early stages of the disease, or are at risk of developing the disease.
“Finding out the prevalence of disease changes in younger age groups is therefore important as this will be the most effective time to start therapies,” she comments.
About this aging and dementia research news
Author: Elina Kirvesniemi
Source: University of Helsinki
Contact: Elina Kirvesniemi – University of Helsinki
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Open access.
“Accumulation of Lewy-Related Pathology Starts in Middle Age: The Tampere Sudden Death Study” by Liisa Myllykangas et al. Annals of Neurology
Abstract
Accumulation of Lewy-Related Pathology Starts in Middle Age: The Tampere Sudden Death Study
When effective treatments against neurodegenerative diseases become a reality, it will be important to know the age these pathologies begin to develop.
We investigated alpha-synuclein pathology in brain tissue of the Tampere Sudden Death Study—unselected forensic autopsies on individuals living outside hospital institutions in Finland.
Of 562 (16–95 years) participants, 42 were positive for Lewy-related pathology (LRP). The youngest LRP case was aged 54 years, and the frequency of LRP in individuals aged ≥50 years was 9%.
This forensic autopsy study indicates LRP starts already in middle age and is more common than expected in the ≥50 years-of-age non-hospitalized population.
