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Speech Title: Lewy Body Dementia—an Alternative Form of Progressive Brain Dysfunction
Specific Purpose: To inform the audience about Lewy Body Dementia
Thesis Statement: As the number of elderly individuals in the population increases, the
subsequent health consequences also increase, and Lewy Body Dementia is one such memory
disease that is highly present in the population—second only to Alzheimer’s disease.
Introduction
How many of you have heard of Alzheimer’s disease? What about Lewy Body
dementia? Though the exact prevalence of Lewy Body dementia is unknown due to high
potential for misdiagnosis, it is expected that Lewy Body dementia makes up an upwards of
twenty-three percent of dementia cases (Vann Jones, 2014). Interestingly enough, the brain
abnormalities accompanying Lewy Body dementia are similar to those involved in Parkinson’s
disease, as a lack of a chemical called dopamine disrupts normative mental processing efforts.
Current medical research and possible intervention techniques include pharmacological synthetic
dopamine treatments and non-pharmacological occupational therapy techniques (Hovendon,
2015). As the number of elderly individuals in the population increases, health consequences
also increase, so it is important to understand the details behind a disease that affects so many.
In order to develop a fundamental understanding of Lewy Body dementia, it is helpful to
understand the signs and symptoms that present themselves at various stages of disease
progression, the underlying brain abnormalities accompanying the disease, and possible
treatment options. As stated by Bridget Hovendon of the McGill Science Undergraduate
Research Journal, “Dementia impacts patients’ social and occupational functioning, reasoning,
memory, capacity for new learning, self-perception, and interpersonal interactions.” Lewy Body
dementia is no exception.
Conclusion
Dementia with Lewy Bodies is a misunderstood but prevalent form of dementia in the
geriatric population. Hallucinations, sleep disturbances, and depression are among the most
severe signs and symptoms of the disease. Neurofibrillary tangles and Lewy Body protein
deposits alter brain function and inhibit the transmission of dopamine, and muscular atrophy and
a decline in muscle coordination follow. Levodopa medication and occupational therapy may
slow the progression of Lewy Body dementia, but as of now, a cure has not been discovered.
References
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Hovendon, B., & Kaufman, M. (2015). Dementia with Lewy Bodies: An Overview. McGill
Johns, E. K., Phillips, N. A., Belleville, S., Goupil, D., Babins, L., Kelner, N., and Chertkow, H.
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dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery &
Tam, C. W. C., Burton, E. J., McKeith, I. G., Burn, D. J., & O'Brien, J. T. (2005). Temporal lobe
Vann Jones, S. A., & O'Brien, J. T. (2014). The prevalence and incidence of dementia with Lewy
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Yamane, Y., Sakai, K., & Maeda, K. (2011). Dementia with Lewy bodies is associated with