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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Sean O'Dowd, Julia SchumacherORCiD, Professor David BurnORCiD, Professor Alan ThomasORCiD, Professor John-Paul TaylorORCiD
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© The Author(s) (2019). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Guarantors of Brain. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.Fluctuating cognition is a core diagnostic feature of dementia with Lewy bodies and is also a key clinical feature of Parkinson's disease dementia. These dementias share common pathological features and are referred to as Lewy body dementias. Whilst highly prevalent in Lewy body dementia, with up to 90% of patients experiencing the symptom at some point in the disease trajectory, clinical identification of fluctuating cognition is often challenging. Furthermore, its underlying pathophysiological processes remain unclear. However, neuroimaging and neurophysiological techniques have recently provided insight into potential drivers of the phenomenon. In this update, we review data pertaining to clinical features and underlying mechanisms of fluctuating cognition in Lewy body dementia. We collate evidence for different proposed aetiologies: fluctuating cognition as an attentional disorder, as a consequence of loss of cholinergic drive, as a manifestation of failure in neuronal efficiency and synchrony, and as a disorder of sleep/arousal. We also review data relating to putative mechanisms that have received less attention to date. Increased understanding of fluctuating cognition may help to illuminate pathophysiological mechanisms in cognitive processing in Lewy body dementia, guide future research, and facilitate the design of targeted therapeutic approaches.
Author(s): O'Dowd S, Schumacher J, Burn DJ, Bonanni L, Onofrj M, Thomas A, Taylor J-P
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Brain : A Journal of Neurology
Year: 2019
Volume: 142
Issue: 11
Pages: 3338-3350
Print publication date: 01/11/2019
Online publication date: 14/08/2019
Acceptance date: 09/06/2019
ISSN (print): 0006-8950
ISSN (electronic): 1460-2156
Publisher: Oxford University Press
URL: https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awz235
DOI: 10.1093/brain/awz235
PubMed id: 31411317
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