Activated microglia in dementia with Lewy bodies.

To investigate the role of cerebral inflammation in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), activated microglial cells were quantified in postmortem brain tissue. Patients with pure DLB (LB but no AD pathology) had significantly greater numbers of cells than nondemented control subjects, but fewer than patients with either pure AD or DLB combined with AD. There was a positive correlation between the numbers of activated microglia and LB in different brain regions. This study demonstrates the presence of significant inflammation in DLB, even in the absence of AD pathology.