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Jose
Understanding how
genes are involved in
dementia with Lewy
bodies
Project information
Lead researcher
Dr Jose Bras
Location
Institute of Neurology, University College London
Cost
£50,000 over 2 years
Start date
October 2015
Type of project
Innovation grant
Project code
K-1503
Project background
Dementia with Lewy bodies is the second most common type of dementia after
Alzheimer’s. It is diagnosed when someone has the symptoms of dementia either before
or at the same time as developing Parkinson’s-like problems with movement. The name
comes from Lewy bodies, which are clumps of protein that develop inside the nerve cells
in the brain that die in both Parkinson’s and dementia with Lewy bodies.
Like Parkinson’s, it’s very rare for dementia with Lewy bodies to be inherited. But whilst
researchers have uncovered several genes that affect a person’s risk of developing
Parkinson’s, we are only just starting to discover genes involved in dementia with Lewy
bodies.
 Dr Bras has previously discovered that some of the same genes are involved
in both dementia with Lewy bodies and Parkinson’s dementia. But they seem
to be involved in different ways. Understanding how the same genes may be
involved in different types of dementia could offer important clues to how these
conditions develop and how to combat them.
 Sections of DNA, called genes, provide the instructions that cells use to make
proteins. We all have thousands of genes which code for thousands of different
proteins. These proteins all have different functions within our cells that are
important for how our cells behave.
 Genes can be switched on or off. This allows cells to control when they make
different proteins. Genes that are ‘active’ make more protein, and the amount of
protein in a cell can change how the cell behaves. The team believe that differences
in gene activity may explain how the same genes can be involved in different ways
in dementia with Lewy bodies and Parkinson’s dementia.
What the researchers are doing
The researchers want to find out if there is a difference in the activity of genes that are
involved in both dementia with Lewy bodies and Parkinson’s dementia. Using brain tissue
donated to research and state-of-the-art technology, they will look at which genes are
switched on or off in different parts of the brain that are affected in these two conditions.
They will then compare the gene activity levels to those found in brain tissue from healthy
people to understand differences that are linked to dementia.
How the research will help people with dementia with Lewy bodies
The information gained through this project will be made freely available to other
researchers on internet databases. Understanding what changes are happening in the
cells – and how these changes are linked to dementia with Lewy bodies and Parkinson’s –
will help researchers develop new treatments that could slow or stop these conditions
progressing.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Find out more about our research, visit our website: parkinsons.org.uk/research
Or contact the Parkinson’s UK research team at: [email protected]
Parkinson’s UK is the operating name of the Parkinson’s Disease Society of the United Kingdom. A company limited by
guarantee. Registered in England and Wales (948776). Registered office: 215 Vauxhall Bridge Road, London SW1V
1EJ. A charity registered in England and Wales (258197) and in Scotland (SC037554). © Parkinson’s UK, May 2012