We are looking for patients with dementia with Lewy bodies.
The National Association ASIN Lewy, which aims to promote research into Lewy body dementia, wants to combine the steps taken in this regard from Barcelona, Madrid and Albacete. Thus, the president of this organization, scientist Enrique Niza, is already in contact with the Madrid Hospital of October 12, which is looking for patients for its research.
Albacete wants to build bridges between all researchers
University Hospital is recruiting patients diagnosed with Lewy body dementia Oct. 12 to improve diagnosis and treatment of this neurodegenerative disease, the second most common despite being largely unknown.
Lewy body dementia, which has symptoms similar to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, can cause changes in thinking, movement, behavior and mood, along with visual hallucinations.
The main goal of the study is to test the impact that activation of cells called microglia, associated with slowing down Alzheimer’s disease, has on the disease.
According to Estrella Morenas Rodriguez, a researcher at the 12 October Hospital Research Institute and a neurologist in the department of cognitive disorders, this work, which she is leading, “has as its main goal the study of the importance of the activation of these cells in dementia with Lewy bodies. compared to Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. The results we obtain will help us explore whether activating microglia could be a useful treatment for dementia with Lewy bodies and Parkinson’s disease.”
Three diseases: Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia with Lewy bodies.
Additionally, by comparatively studying Lewy body dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease, this work will contribute to a better understanding of these three diseases, with an emphasis on better and earlier diagnosis.
Morenas Rodriguez explains that to achieve these goals, they will be based on the study of various parameters that can be determined in the blood, cerebrospinal fluid (the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord), saliva or skin, which are known as biomarkers, as well as clinical data. These samples will be collected from patients who volunteer to participate. There are expected to be about 150 patients there.
“There is an urgency”
According to Nice, “there is an urgent need” to research this dementia, since while more than 12,000 scientific articles can be found on Alzheimer’s disease, only 700 can be found on dementia with Lewy bodies. This scientist, from his association based in Albacete, aims to build bridges between by all researchers, and to ensure that those who focus their work on Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases also focus on dementia with Lewy bodies.
The Nice crusade began in 2024, but the first international conference on this dementia, equally common but also little studied, had already concluded by the end of January 2025.
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