Neuropsychological Differentiation of Dementia with Lewy Bodies and Parkinson’s Disease Dementia

Objective To determine whether or not distinct neuropsychological profiles could be created to aid in earlier detection in Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB) and Parkinson’s Disease Dementia (PDD). Data Selection A literature review was conducted informally to search for articles pertaining to neuropsychological testing with individuals with DLB or PDD that were dated within the past fifteen years. Data Synthesis Results indicated DLB typically has greater impairment in executive functioning, visuospatial, and attention in comparison to PDD. More specifically, individuals with DLB had significantly worse results on the Rey Complex Figure Test Copy Trial and Digit Span Forward than individuals with PDD. PDD was shown to typically have greater impairment in motor symptoms in comparison to DLB. These impairments, however, depend on the severity of disease progression. Conclusions In conclusion, DLB and PDD have very similar neuropsychological deficits, with greater deficits observed in executive functioning, visuospatial, and attention for individuals with DLB. Overall, majority of the literature is unsure of concrete diagnostic criteria for both individuals with DLB and PDD. This inconsistency has led the comparison of overall research to also been quite difficult as well. Future studies should try to control for medication and comorbidities, as well as include larger and more diverse samples with a full neuropsychological battery to include all domains of functioning. By doing this, the focus will shift more to on early detection and prevention of DLB and PDD and therefore reduce the financial burden of a neurocognitive disorder and the strain of caregiving that is usually placed within on the family