Abstract
Lewy bodies (LBs) are hallmark lesions of Parkinson's disease (PD), and they typically occur in dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra pars compacta in association with a marked loss of these neurons and gliosis. In addition to PD, LBs also occur in cortical neurons of elderly demented patients, including a subgroup of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) who exhibit parkinsonian features, and this is known as the LB variant of AD (LBVAD). It is found that although the abnormal accumulation of normal neurofilaments (NFs) into pathological LBs represents a marker of the disease state; this process also could compromise the function and viability of neurons thereby contributing to neuron dysfunction and death. It is suggested that efforts to elucidate pathobiology of LBs are likely to lead to improved strategies for the antemortem diagnosis of LB disorders, as well as to the development of novel therapeutic interventions for the treatment of PD, diffuse Lewy bodies, and LBVAD.