Introduction
Alzheimer's disease (AD) reports heterogeneity of neuropsychological symptoms misleading the differential diagnosis with other forms of dementia, such as dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). About 50% of DLB patients are misdiagnosed as AD cases. Likewise, the diagnosis of both diseases is mainly based on clinical characteristics. However, differentiating AD of those with DLB based on neuropsychological symptoms and anatomical and functional brain changes remains challenging.
Aim
To establish the main neuropsychological, anatomical, and functional similarities and differences in patients with AD and DLB.
Methods
The present study followed the PRISMA guidelines and included studies from the PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Sciences databases, published between January 2000 and July 2022.
Results
Forty-one articles were included in this systematic review for critical analysis. Our results suggest that the cognitive key domains to consider in the differential diagnosis are memory, executive function, attention, visuospatial/visuoconstructive skills, and verbal fluency (both semantic and phonological). The stage and severity of both diseases would be essential for differential diagnosis. On the other hand, the anatomical and functional changes suggest a similar atrophy pattern between AD and DLB in the frontal, parietal, temporal, hippocampal, and precuneus regions.
Conclusion
The differential diagnosis between AD and DLB is challenging in clinical practice. Therefore, our results suggest exploring cognitive linguistic markers along with correlating these markers with anatomical and functional brain changes.
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