From Whence Did These Lewy Bodies Come?

Recently, I've noticed that people figure that being afflicted with dementia is a crap shoot.  And, they're pretty much on target, so far as I can see.

Of course, there are the other things, like, FACTORS that may help stop the madness, but nothing is 100%.

Diet, exercise, clean living (meaning no smoking anything, being moderate in alcohol, etc), and keeping your brain active with learning, reading, etc. will help stave off mental degeneration, perhaps.

But it dawned on me at the same time as I was pondering my chances that we haven't really any clue as to from where these little buggers came from.  Well, we actually do, but it's nice to re-iterate it as none of us has much control over their appearance (or so they tell us thus far).

Well, it begins when the proteins in the brain begin misfolding.  It's just something that seems to occur.  And it's not just LBD, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia that are results, but diabetes, too, can be caused this way as well, and toss "old age" into the hat while you're at it.

How does it work?  Why does a misfold create such a nuisance?

With age comes little "misdemeanors" of processes.  When the proteins misfold it isn't only one or two, but many that may happen.  This sets off a reaction.    This cannot be undone, at this time.

According to Dr. David Ron, at the University of Cambridge:

Proteins are central to the function of all living beings and maintaining them in proper condition (known as their ‘folded state’) is important to health. It is now apparent that protein misfolding contributes to many diseases of ageing, such as dementia, diabetes and even the physical feebleness of old age. To delay these undesirable processes we need to better understand how cells and tissues (in which protein misfolding is played out) adapt to this problem and then we must seek ways to strengthen favourable adaptations and discourage unfavourable ones.  (Misfolded Proteins in Dementia and Ageing)

Which is somewhat disheartening as there is no way to reverse the process at this time;  I suppose there would be more hope would there be a way to catch the misfolds at their onset, but how would you know?

You don't. 

Next, we have the normal chemical reactions taking place in the brain all the time.  A-synucleins are a normal part of the brain's chemistry.  However, these too, seem to have a way of becoming a little wonky and can, therefore, become (from what I'm gathering in my reading) anomalies in themselves, which then create the new form known as Lewy Bodies.  

While the A-Synucleins help with the regulation and production of the dopamine and acetylcholine in the brain (which keep the brain healthy and working correctly), the secondary units of Lewy Bodies begin the war against such processes and block the productions and then begin to sever the neuro-connectors that are necessary for movement, thought, and other processes in the brain.  

Wow.  I do hope I sound as though I know what I'm saying.  It's pretty much technical for me.  But, it begins the thought that if they know this much, at this time, then the road might be brighter sometime soon.  

If only there were a way to make it like a children's picture book.  

Resources:

Misfolded Proteins in Dementia and Ageing  Cambridge University

Alpha-synuclein Biology in Lewy Body Diseases  Alzheimer's Research and Therapy

Dementia with Lewy Bodies   Johns Hopkins Medicine