What Causes Parkinson’s and Dementia With Lewy Bodies?
Genes, aging, and environmental factors may shape how these complex neurological diseases begin.
The Question We Still Cannot Fully Answer
For many patients and families, one question comes first: Why did this happen? Today, we still cannot give a complete answer—either for Parkinson’s disease or for dementia with Lewy bodies. Only a small minority of cases can be traced to a single, clearly defined genetic mutation. For most people, disease is likely to emerge from a complex interaction between genetic susceptibility, environmental influences, and aging.
From Causes to New Possibilities
Understanding how these factors come together is not only a scientific challenge—it is one of the most urgent research tasks of our time. By uncovering what initiates disease, who is most at risk, and why some people are affected while others are not, we can create new opportunities for earlier detection, prevention, and treatments that target the disease before irreversible damage occurs.
The Role of Alpha-Synuclein
In the brain, dementia with Lewy bodies is characterized by the abnormal accumulation of alpha-synuclein protein inside nerve cells. These deposits form Lewy bodies, which gave the disease its name.
Cause, Risk Factor, or Early Sign?
These terms are often used together, but they do not mean the same thing.
A Cause
A cause directly initiates or drives a disease. In a small number of families, a specific genetic change can cause Parkinson’s. For most patients with Parkinson’s or dementia with Lewy bodies, no single cause can be identified.
A Risk Factor
A risk factor increases the chance of developing a disease but does not make it inevitable. Many people with one or more risk factors never develop Parkinson’s or DLB.
An Early Sign
Some features associated with increased risk may actually be early signs that the disease process has already begun. Reduced sense of smell is a typical example.
Parkinson’s Disease
Dementia With Lewy Bodies
Can Parkinson’s or Dementia With Lewy Bodies Be Prevented?
There is currently no proven evidence that either disease can be prevented. A healthy and active lifestyle supports brain, cardiovascular, and physical health, but it cannot remove all risk or ensure that disease will not develop. Most importantly, patients and families should not interpret a diagnosis of Parkinson’s or dementia with Lewy bodies as a personal failure. People may develop either disease despite having lived healthy and active lives.
Turning Risk Into Prevention
Age, genetic susceptibility, environmental exposures, and their lifelong interactions may all influence the risk of Parkinson’s disease and dementia with Lewy bodies. Yet we still do not understand how these factors initiate disease in each individual. American Friends of ParkinsonFonds Deutschland specifically supports projects that uncover these connections, identify people at risk, and reveal opportunities for early intervention—with the ultimate goal of preventing both diseases before irreversible damage begins.