A signature pattern of cortical atrophy in dementia with Lewy bodies: A study on 333 patients from the European DLB consortium.

INTRODUCTION: We explored regional brain atrophy patterns and their clinical correlates in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB).

METHODS: In this multicentre study, we included a total of 333 patients with DLB, 352 patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), and 233 normal controls and used medial temporal lobe atrophy, posterior atrophy, and frontal atrophy (GCA-F) visual rating scales. Patients were classified according to four atrophy patterns.

RESULTS: Patients with DLB had higher scores on all the three atrophy scales than normal controls but had less medial temporal lobe atrophy than those with AD (all P values < .001). A signature hippocampal-sparing pattern of regional atrophy was observed in DLB. The magnetic resonance imaging measures showed 65% ability to discriminate between DLB and AD and marginally contributed to the discrimination over and above the core clinical features.

DISCUSSION: The most common pattern of atrophy of DLB was hippocampal-sparing. Future studies should explore whether comorbid AD pathology underlies the atrophy patterns seen in DLB.