Penn Medicine researchers will advance their understanding of the underlying causes of cognitive decline in individuals with Lewy body diseases, like Parkinson's, and identify biomarkers that predict which individuals are more likely to develop dementia with a $18 million grant from the National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Aging. The goal of this wide-ranging program is to understand the factors that govern who develops dementia, and how quickly, in order to develop therapies that might slow the progression of disease. Nearly one million Americans currently live with Parkinson's disease (PD), and an estimated 1.
4 million have PD or dementia with Lewy bodies. Both are caused by the buildup of an abnormal protein in the brain, called α-synuclein (αSyn). The buildup of αSyn forms clumps called Lewy bodies, leading to issues with movement and cognition.
While these diseases share a common underlying cause, individuals express symptoms differently. Some people experience cognitive decline, like impaired memory and judgment, at the outset of their diagnosis, other develop it a few years after, and some never do. Likewise, some individuals struggle with motor functions early, like walking or swallowing, while others develop these symptoms years after diagnosis.
There are currently no FDA-approved treatments available that slow the progression of these diseases. "Regardless of timing, these symptoms appear to share some underlying processes. We hope that the differe.