Cerebral amyloid angiopathy in patients with Dementia with Lewy Bodies: A clinical and hippocampal morphology study

Abstract

Introduction: Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB) is often associated with Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy (CAA) based on pathological studies. Current literature in DLB reveals heterogenous findings regarding CAA effects on cognition, but overall suggests a diffuse impact on different cognitive domains, depending in parts on CAA severity. Reduced hippocampal volumes have also been reported in CAA patients. This study aims first at reporting the prevalence of CAA in DLB according to the Boston Criteria 2.0, and second at analyzing the impact of CAA on neuropsychological performances and hippocampal volumes in DLB patients.

Method: We retrospectively evaluated the prevalence of CAA in DLB patients followed at the Leenaards Memory Center (Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland) with the Boston Criteria version 2.0 and compared cognitive performance and hippocampal volumes between DLB+CAA and DLB-CAA patients.

Results: 87 DLB patients (77.5 ± 7.2yo; 34.5 % females) were included. We found that 65.5 % of DLB patients presented with any (probable + possible) CAA. Cognitive performances and hippocampal volumes (total and segmentation) were similar between both groups.

Conclusion: This study shows that the presence of CAA does not impact cognition and hippocampal volume in patients with DLB.