LEWY body dementia (LBD), a complex neurodegenerative disorder, remains severely understudied in Latin America, according to a new scoping review analyzing the regional research landscape across major medical databases.
Despite the growing prevalence of dementia across the globe, most scientific attention in Latin America has centered on Alzheimer’s Disease and Frontotemporal Dementia. In contrast, LBD, a condition characterized by cognitive decline, motor symptoms, and neuropsychiatric features, has received minimal focus. The recently published review analyzed 1,388 studies and found that only 70 met inclusion criteria for involving patients with LBD, revealing a stark research gap.
Of the studies included, 90% were cross-sectional, just three were cohort studies, and only two were non-randomized clinical trials, both of which lacked methodological rigor. The vast majority of this limited research originated in Brazil (52 studies), followed by Argentina (7), with the remainder scattered across Peru, Mexico, Colombia, Cuba, and Chile.
These studies mostly addressed the clinical, cognitive, and neuropsychiatric features of LBD but did not venture deeply into diagnostic precision, treatment outcomes, or longitudinal patterns. The review highlights significant regional challenges such as weak study design, high heterogeneity, a scarcity of clinical trials, and the absence of standardized diagnostic criteria or subtype differentiation.
The authors argue that advancing LBD research in Latin America will require increased funding, international partnerships, and greater awareness among clinicians and researchers. As the global burden of dementia rises, addressing this blind spot could have important implications not only for Latin America, but for the broader understanding of LBD pathology and care.
Reference: Cano-Gutiérrez C et al. Lewy Body Dementia Research in Latin America: A Scoping Review. Mov Disord Clin Pract. 2025. doi: 10.1002/mdc3.70059.
