Home › Research › Getting a diagnosis
Implications and opportunities regarding biological frameworks in overt and prodromal dementia with Lewy bodies
Jennifer G. Goldman, Bradley F. Boeve, Douglas R Galasko, John‐Paul Taylor, James E. Galvin, James B. Leverenz, Frédéric Blanc, Glenda Margaret Halliday et al.. Alzheimer s & Dementia, 2025-07-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), a progressive neurodegenerative disease with heterogeneous clinical presentations, greatly impacts patients, caregivers, and society. Despite its frequency, diagnosing and treating DLB remains challenging. Advances in in vivo biomarker assays reflecting underlying pathology are improving disease identification, diagnostic accuracy, and therapeutic development for biologically targeted, disease-modifying agents. Consequently, definitions of Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease (PD) have shifted to focus on pathological changes occurring before clinical features, with proposed frameworks for detecting pathological amyloid and tau, neurodegeneration, and other markers (National Institute on Aging-Alzheimer's Association) and alpha-synucleinopathy and dopaminergic degeneration (Neuronal α-synuclein Disease Integrated Staging System, SynNeurGe). The biological frameworks, particularly those related to alpha-synuclein (α-synuclein), have sparked debate about unifying DLB and PD under a single pathobiologic disease. This paper discusses the implications of these biological frameworks for the DLB community, addressing topics regarding multiple pathologies and neurochemical systems, clinical heterogeneity, and functional impairment, and exploring the potential impact on clinical trials and care. HIGHLIGHTS: DLB is a progressive neurodegenerative disease with varied clinical presentations. Diagnosing and treating DLB remains challenging despite its frequency. Biological frameworks are reshaping Alzheimer's and Parkinson's definitions. In vivo biomarkers are improving DLB identification and diagnostic accuracy. Debate exists regarding unifying DLB and Parkinson's under one pathobiology.
Key findings
- HIGHLIGHTS: DLB is a progressive neurodegenerative disease with varied clinical presentations.
- Diagnosing and treating DLB remains challenging despite its frequency.
- Biological frameworks are reshaping Alzheimer's and Parkinson's definitions.
- In vivo biomarkers are improving DLB identification and diagnostic accuracy.
- Debate exists regarding unifying DLB and Parkinson's under one pathobiology.
Why it matters
This paper discusses biological frameworks for dementia with Lewy bodies and how in vivo biomarkers are improving disease identification and diagnostic accuracy. It addresses implications for clinical trials and care, but does not report a treatment or cure.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Getting a diagnosis →
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 42/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Alzheimer s & Dementia) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Alzheimer s & Dementia: journal h-index 228 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 1 / 7 | Cited 3 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 1 / 5 | 1.0 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 2 / 6 | Cited 1.7× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 3 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author ANGELA E. R. TAYLOR: h-index 50 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 3 / 3 | University of Washington: institution h-index 3,540 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 3 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 24 institution(s) in 8 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 40684248) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 42 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Goldman, J. G., Boeve, B. F., Galasko, D. R., Taylor, J., Galvin, J. E., Leverenz, J. B., et al. (2025). Implications and opportunities regarding biological frameworks in overt and prodromal dementia with Lewy bodies. Alzheimer s & Dementia. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.70470
Vancouver
Goldman JG, Boeve BF, Galasko DR, Taylor J, Galvin JE, Leverenz JB, et al. Implications and opportunities regarding biological frameworks in overt and prodromal dementia with Lewy bodies. Alzheimer s & Dementia. 2025. doi:10.1002/alz.70470. PMID: 40684248.
BibTeX
@article{goldman2025-40684248,
author = {Goldman, Jennifer G. and Boeve, Bradley F. and Galasko, Douglas R and Taylor, John‐Paul and Galvin, James E. and Leverenz, James B. and Blanc, Frédéric and Halliday, Glenda Margaret and others},
title = {{Implications and opportunities regarding biological frameworks in overt and prodromal dementia with Lewy bodies}},
journal = {Alzheimer s \& Dementia},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1002/alz.70470},
pmid = {40684248},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.70470}
}
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here. Showing 12 of 28.
Related studies in Getting a diagnosis
Also tagged “bodies”
1,017 studies in the library carry the topic tag “bodies”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 1,017 tagged studies.