Markers for the detection of Lewy body disease versus Alzheimer’s disease in mild cognitive impairment: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) may evolve into dementia.

Early recognition of possible evolution to Alzheimer's disease (AD) and dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB) is of importance, but actual diagnostic criteria have some limitations.

In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we aimed to find the most accurate markers that can discriminate patients with DLB versus AD, in MCI stage.

Methods We searched several databases up to 17 August 2023 including studies comparing markers that may distinguish DLB-MCI from AD-MCI.

We reported data regarding sensitivity, specificity, and the area under the curves (AUCs) with their 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Results Among 2219 articles initially screened, eight case–control studies and one cohort study were included for a total of 832 outpatients with MCI.

The accuracy of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) markers was the highest among the markers considered (AUC > 0.90 for the CSF markers), with the AUC of CSF Aβ42/Aβ40 of 0.94.

The accuracy for clinical symptom scales was very good (AUC = 0.93), as evaluated in three studies.

Although limited to one study, the accuracy of FDG-PET (cingulate island sign ratio) was very good (AUC = 0.95) in discriminating DLB from AD in MCI, while the accuracy of SPECT markers and EEG frequencies was variable.

Conclusions Few studies have assessed the accuracy of biomarkers and clinical tools to distinguish DLB from AD at the MCI stage.

While results are promising for CSF markers, FDG-PET and clinical symptoms scales, more studies, particularly with a prospective design, are needed to evaluate their accuracy and clinical usefulness.

Clinical trial registration : Prospero (CRD42023422600).