DLB is the second most common form of dementia, after Alzheimer's disease.
Patients suffer from problems in concentrating, visual hallucinations and Parkinson's-type symptoms.
Many become very disturbed and require hospital care. This type of dementia has been linked to lower than normal activity in the nervous system of a chemical called acetylcholine, which helps to transmit signals between brain cells. Therefore, doctors believe that it should be possible to treat DLB by using drugs that boost acetylcholine levels. Rivastigmine, which is branded as Exelon, is one such drug. The drug was tested on 120 DLB patients by an international team of scientists led by Professor Ian McKeith and colleagues from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne.