This $1,510,600 Project Grant award from the National Institute on Aging (CFDA 93.866 - Aging Research) aims to map synaptic density changes in the human brain across the spectrum of Lewy body dementia, from healthy aging to prodromal and manifest disease stages. The University of Wisconsin - Madison is conducting this research by recruiting 160 participants, including those with rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder, early-stage Parkinsonism, and mild cognitive impairment with Lewy bodies, as well as healthy controls. The researchers will use advanced neuroimaging techniques, including SV2A PET and structural/diffusion MRI, to quantify synaptic density, white matter microstructure, and brain volume changes. The goal is to determine how synaptic loss relates to cognitive decline and whether it precedes other structural brain changes in the prodromal stages of Lewy body dementia. This research aims to develop biomarkers for future evaluation of intervention therapies.
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