T Lymphocytes and Their Potential Role in Dementia with Lewy Bodies

Abstract

Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is the second most common neurodegenerative cause of dementia. People with DLB have an inferior prognosis compared to Alzheimer’s disease (AD), but the diseases overlap in their neuropathology and clinical syndrome. It is imperative that we enhance our understanding of the aetiology and pathogenesis of DLB. The impact of peripheral inflammation on the brain in dementia has been increasingly explored in recent years, with T lymphocyte recruitment into brain parenchyma identified in AD and Parkinson’s disease. There is now a growing range of literature emerging on the potential role of innate and adaptive immune cells in DLB, including T lymphocytes. In this review, we examine the profile of T lymphocytes in DLB, focusing on studies of post-mortem brain tissue, cerebrospinal fluid, and the blood compartment. We present an integrated viewpoint on the results of these studies by proposing how changes to the T lymphocyte profile in the brain and periphery may relate to each other. Improving our understanding of T lymphocytes in DLB has the potential to guide the development of disease-modifying treatments.