Actor Patrick Stewart died on October 28 at age 86 after a brief battle with Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body dementia, according to his longtime spokesperson Kelly Bush Novak. He died peacefully at his home in Los Angeles, where his wife Sunny Ozell provided care.
Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body dementia are progressive neurological conditions. Alzheimer's, the most common cause of dementia, involves abnormal buildups of proteins called amyloid and tau in the brain that disrupt communication between nerve cells. Memory problems often appear first, followed by increasing difficulty with language, reasoning, decision making, and recognizing familiar people, according to the National Institute on Aging (NIA).
Lewy body dementia involves abnormal deposits of a protein called alpha-synuclein in the brain. These deposits, known as Lewy bodies, affect brain chemicals involved in thinking, movement, mood, and sleep. People with Lewy body dementia may experience changes in attention and alertness, visual hallucinations, muscle stiffness, difficulty walking, and sleep disturbances.
The two conditions may co-occur, and their overlapping symptoms may make diagnosis more challenging, according to the Alzheimer's Association. Neither condition currently has a cure. Treatments exist to help manage symptoms, and certain medications can slow cognitive decline in some people with early Alzheimer's disease.