Many people living with Lewy body dementia (LBD) also have Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology—the amyloid plaques and tau tangles associated with AD—in their brains at the same time. This overlap, known as co-pathology, is more common than many people realize, and it can affect how LBD looks and progresses.
But what does that actually mean for someone living with LBD, or for the people who care for them? In this Exploring the Science webinar, Dr. Shannon Chiu, Lead Principal Investigator of the LBDA Arizona Collaborative Research Center of Excellence , will discuss what we know about AD co-pathology in LBD, what it means for the course of the disease, and why it matters for research happening right now. Dr. Chiu will also discuss two current studies of co-pathology in LBD—the Clin-Syn biomarker study and the TRAILBLAZER-ALZ 7 clinical trial—and why you may want to consider participating.
At the end of the webinar, you will be able to:
- Understand co-pathology in LBD: What is co-pathology? How common is it for people with LBD to also have Alzheimer's pathology in their brains?
- Recognize what co-pathology means for the clinical course: How does AD co-pathology affect the symptoms and progression of LBD? Does it differ between dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and Parkinson's disease dementia (PDD)? What should people with LBD and their care partners know about what to expect?
- Learn more about participating in research and clinical trials: What are researchers learning about co-pathology in LBD, and what questions remain? What are the Clin-Syn study and the TRAILBLAZER-ALZ 7 clinical trial, and why might people with LBD consider volunteering?
About Shannon Y. Chiu, MD, MSc
Dr. Shannon Y. Chiu is a neurologist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, based in Phoenix, Arizona, where she serves as the lead principal investigator at the LBDA Arizona Collaborative Research Center of Excellence (RCOE). She specializes in movement disorders, with particular expertise in Parkinson's disease, Lewy body dementia, atypical parkinsonism, tremor, and deep brain stimulation. Dr. Chiu earned her MD from New York University School of Medicine in 2014 and completed her neurology residency at Mayo Clinic Rochester before pursuing a movement disorders fellowship at the University of Florida. Her research focuses on biomarker development in Lewy body disease, including a five-year NIH-funded grant investigating changes in Lewy body dementia using diffusion-weighted MRI and task-based EEG. She is actively engaged in professional leadership roles, serving on the Clinical Management Best Practices Committee of the Lewy Body Dementia Association and the Biomarkers Working Group of the Parkinson Study Group. In 2025, Dr. Chiu received the Jon Stolk Award in Movement Disorders for Early Career Investigators from the American Academy of Neurology, recognizing her contributions to the field.
For questions or more information, please email [email protected].
