レビー小体
At the time of his suicide on August 11, 2014, Robin Williams, the American actor and comedian, had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. According to his widow, Williams had experienced depression, anxiety and increasing paranoia. His widow said that his autopsy found diffuse Lewy body disease, while the autopsy used the term "diffuse Lewy body dementia". Dennis Dickson, a spokesperson for the Lewy Body Dementia Association, clarified the distinction by stating that "diffuse Lewy body dementia" is more commonly called "diffuse Lewy body disease" and refers to the underlying disease process. According to Dickson, "Lewy bodies are generally limited in distribution, but in DLB, the Lewy bodies are spread widely throughout the brain, as was the case with Robin Williams." Ian G. McKeith, professor and researcher of Lewy body dementias, commented that Williams' symptoms and autopsy findings were explained by DLB.