Progressive Supranuclear Palsy Syndrome and Semantic Dementia in Neuropathologically Proven Lewy Body Disease: A Report of Two Cases

J Alzheimers Dis. 2015;47(1):95-101. doi: 10.3233/JAD-150203.

Abstract

The impact of neuropathological lesions on the clinical symptoms and progression of Lewy body disease (LBD) remains unclear. To address this issue, we describe two illustrative cases of autopsy-proven LBD that presented atypical phenotypes of progressive supranuclear palsy syndrome and semantic dementia. Postmortem examination revealed diffuse LBD with massive brainstem involvement in case 1, whereas Lewy bodies predominated in the amygdala and neocortex in case 2. Alzheimer's disease pathology was present in both cases, and TDP-43 inclusions were noted in case 2. These cases illustrate two contrasted clinical presentations and highlight the heterogeneity within the underlying proteinopathies of neurodegenerative diseases.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; Lewy body; neuropathology; neuropsychology; progressive; supranuclear palsy.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Amyloid beta-Peptides / metabolism
  • Brain / metabolism
  • Brain / pathology
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / metabolism
  • Female
  • Frontotemporal Dementia / etiology*
  • Humans
  • Lewy Body Disease / complications*
  • Lewy Body Disease / pathology
  • Male
  • Mental Status Schedule
  • Neuropsychological Tests
  • RNA-Binding Protein FUS / metabolism
  • Supranuclear Palsy, Progressive / etiology*
  • Ubiquitin / metabolism
  • tau Proteins / metabolism

Substances

  • Amyloid beta-Peptides
  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • RNA-Binding Protein FUS
  • TARDBP protein, human
  • Ubiquitin
  • tau Proteins