What Causes Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB)?
Dementia with Lewy bodies is the second most common form of dementia. The disease is believed to be caused by the abnormal accumulation of the protein α-synuclein into fibrils, the primary component of the Lewy bodies found within brain neurons. Increasing evidence suggests that α-synuclein oligomers disrupt key cellular processes including autophagy and elicit neuronal dysfunction and loss of synapses in DLB
CT1812: A Dual-Track Approach to Treating Degenerative Dementia
A large percentage of DLB patients have both Aβ and α-synuclein oligomers present in the brain. CT1812 has the potential to slow the progression of both Alzheimer’s disease and DLB by acting to prevent the buildup of the toxic Aβ oligomers that drive Alzheimer’s disease and the harmful α-synuclein oligomers responsible for DLB.
Treatments Needed
Only a few symptomatic treatments (to control agitation) for dementia with Lewy bodies are approved today, and at present, no disease-modifying therapeutics exist for these patients. Cognition Therapeutics is conducting SHIMMER, a Phase 2 clinical trial investigating whether CT1812 has a beneficial effect in adults diagnosed with mild to moderate DLB. The company has been awarded a grant from the National Institute of Aging (part of the National Institutes of Health) to support the ongoing SHIMMER clinical trial.
Recognizing DLB
Dementia with Lewy bodies is challenging to diagnose and identify as it shares many Alzheimer’s disease symptoms. DLB is a “whole-body” disease that disrupts biological processes affecting autonomic, digestive, cognitive, and motor systems. Varied initial symptoms make diagnosis complex while fluctuations in symptomatic behavior can be a bellwether sign of DLB.
SYMPTOMS OF
DEMENTIA WITH LEWY BODIES
DEMENTIA WITH LEWY BODIES
- Day-to-day fluctuations in alertness level
- Auditory and visual hallucinations, often of children or animals
- Delusions
- Resting tremors and movement disorders (shuffling gait)
- REM sleep disorder (acting out dreams while sleeping)
Leading Through Engagement, Committed to DLB Community
Cognition Therapeutics is committed to educating the public about DLB’s signs, symptoms, risk factors, and the impact of the disease on patients and caregivers. Cognition has built relationships with advocates and physician experts to learn first-hand from patients with DLB to better understand their needs. Through our Cognition Conversations podcast, we share advice and give voice to the experiences of patients and those caring for loved ones suffering from DLB.
Phase 2 SHIMMER study:
- Complete with results: 130 adults with mild-to-moderate dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) were randomized to receive one of two doses of CT1812 or placebo for six months.
- Supported by a $30 million grant from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
- On December 18, 2024, a webcast was held to review topline results from the SHIMMER study. Click here for the archive.
- For more information, please visit clinicaltrials.gov and reference study ID NCT05225415.