Objective: We aimed to determine whether heart rate variability (HRV) can aid in the differentiation of DLB from AD at the MCI stage.

Background: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a well-known precursor of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) but often also precedes Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). The early differentiation of DLB from AD is important to delay disease progression. Cardiac autonomic dysfunction is reported to be early sign of Lewy body disorders, including Parkinson’s disease (PD) and DLB.

Methods: Consecutive MCI patients who underwent heart rate variability at baseline and progressed to DLB (n = 23) or AD (n=32) were identified during the follow-up period. Measurements of beat-to-beat RR variability, including time domains [(RR-standard deviation (SDNN), and root mean square difference of successive RR intervals (RMSSD)], and frequency domains [very low- (VLF), low- (LF), and high-frequency (HF) components, and total spectral power (Total power)], were assessed retrospectively. Baseline cardiac autonomic functions as assessed by HRV and neuropsychological data were compared.

Results: MCI patients who progressed to DLB dementia were characterized by decrease in almost all HRV parameters including compared to those who progressed to AD. The area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristic to discriminate MCI-DLB from MCI-AD showed that LF was the best potential diagnostic marker.

Conclusions: Non-invasive HRV can help predict conversion to DLB or AD in patients with MCI.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/heart-rate-variability-to-differentiate-dementia-with-lewy-bodies-from-alzheimers-disease-in-patients-with-mild-cognitive-impairment/