Signs Of Lewy Body Dementia

Sleep Difficulties

The abnormal cell growth caused by Lewy bodies affects the ability to sleep and causes confusion. Many patients with this brain disorder have insomnia and have difficulty falling asleep. The hypothalamus controls sleep functions and shuts down the brain’s arousal signals. The ventrolateral preoptic nucleus is in the hypothalamus and is directly connected to the switch between sleeping and wakefulness.

The neurons in the brainstem are responsible for managing neurotransmitters and producing chemicals that make you fall asleep. It is also the area that regulates the circadian clock and sending arousal signals to the cerebral cortex. Besides keeping individuals alert, these signals aid with learning, thinking and retaining information. Lewy bodies grow on the sleep centers of the brain, which is how difficulties with sleep are brought about. They interfere with the entire process that helps patients go to sleep and wake up at a specific hour, so their sleep cycle is unstable.

Memory Loss Or Confusion

As Lewy body protein deposits develop in the brain, patients start to experience memory loss or confusion. The cognitive issues tend to be similar to those experienced by patients with Alzheimer's disease. The confusion tends to vary significantly from one day to another. Affected individuals may be confused about where or who they are on one day, and the next day experience very little cognitive impairment. A patient's alertness might also vary widely. Along with the confusion, it's common for individuals to experience changes in their reasoning and thinking. In fact, studies indicate impaired judgment can be one of the earliest signs of dementia. One difference between Lewy body dementia and Alzheimer's disease is while memory loss tends to be significant, it's less prominent than with Alzheimer's disease. Other symptoms of cognitive impairment tend to be more serious.