Detecting Susceptibility Genes for Dementia with Lewy Bodies | C4C

DLB shares symptomology with both Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD), making diagnosis difficult. Neuropathological examination is not always conclusive for a diagnosis of DLB, and further highlights the overlapping characteristics of DLB, AD and PD. Given the difficulty in diagnosis it is thought that the disease could account for up to 15% of dementia patients, compared to the 5-10% currently thought to be accounted for by disease. This study aims to utilise our existing and comprehensive sample collection network to collect a large DLB cohort that we will use in unison with our already collected elderly control cohort to identify risk genes for disease. We will undertake genome-wide genetic association studies to understand the genetic variants that may contribute to the development and progression of DLB, and by utilising our existing AD and PD datasets to investigate the overlapping and novel aspects of the genetic aetiology of these neurodegenerative diseases.