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Emerging Insights into Lewy Body Diseases

Edited by:

Pamela McLean, PhD, Mayo Clinic Florida, United States
Owen Ross, PhD, Mayo Clinic Florida, United States
Mark Cookson, PhD, National Institute on Aging - National Institutes of Health, United States
Hui (Iris) Zhang, PhD, University of Georgia, United States

Submission Status: Open   |   Submission Deadline: 25 July 2025 


3D illustration showing neurons containing Lewy Bodies.Molecular Neurodegeneration is presenting a new Collection on Emerging Insights into Lewy Body Diseases. The collection is invite-only.



Image credit: © Dr_Microbe / stock.adobe.com

New Content ItemThis Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good Health & Well-Being.

Emerging Insights into Lewy Body Diseases

Meet the Guest Editors

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Pamela McLean, PhD, Mayo Clinic Florida, United States

Pamela McLean photographDr Pamela McLean is a Professor in the Department of Neuroscience in Mayo Clinic Florida. Her research focuses on understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies and related neurodegenerative disorders. Dr McLean’s group uses a variety of cell and animal model systems to investigate the alpha-synuclein-associated mechanisms of disease. Her work is funded by the NIH, American Parkinson Disease Association, the Michael J. Fox Foundation, the American Brain Foundation, and the Florida Department of Health.

Owen Ross, PhD, Mayo Clinic Florida, United States

Owen Ross photographDr Owen Ross is a Professor in the Department of Neuroscience in Mayo Clinic Florida, USA. His primary research is focused on the role of genetics in familial and sporadic forms of parkinsonism and related movement disorders. Dr Ross has identified functional common risk factors in Parkinson's disease, demonstrating the importance of genetics in sporadic disease. He has also identified novel genes and mutations for Parkinson's disease and a number of related disorders, including variants in LRRK2, VPS35 and RAB32.

Mark Cookson, PhD, National Institute on Aging - National Institutes of Health, United States

Photo of Mark CooksonDr Mark Cookson is a Senior Investigator at National Institute on Aging (NIA/NIH), USA. His work is aimed to understand biological pathways that lead to neuronal damage and death associated with Parkinson's disease and related disorders. His lab uses a range of molecular, cellular and animal models; they are especially interested in large-scale or unbiased approaches to investigate the disease mechanisms where possible.

Hui (Iris) Zhang, PhD, University of Georgia, United States

Photo of Hui (Iris) ZhangDr Zhang earned her BA in Biophysics from Fudan University and her PhD in Neurobiology from Columbia University, where she also completed her postdoctoral training. She is an Associate Professor at the Isakson Center for Neurological Disease Research, University of Georgia. Her research focuses on uncovering the mechanisms of dopamine neuron degeneration in Parkinson’s disease, particularly the vulnerability of substantia nigra neurons, with the goal of identifying new therapeutic targets. Since 2019, she has served as a senior editor for Molecular Neurodegeneration.

About the Collection

3D illustration showing neurons containing Lewy Bodies.This comprehensive review series aims to elucidate the multifaceted aspects of Lewy Body Diseases, a group of neurodegenerative disorders characterized by the presence of abnormal alpha-synuclein protein deposits (Lewy bodies) in the brain, with an emphasis on Lewy Body Dementia. LBD is a shared acronym for either Lewy Body Diseases and Lewy Body Dementia. The overarching goal of this series is to provide an in-depth understanding of the latest advancements and emerging themes in the diagnosis, management, and underlying mechanisms of LBD. The series will explore a variety of critical topics on the current landscape and future directions in LBD research.

Clarification of Terminology

Lewy Body Diseases encompass a spectrum of neurodegenerative disorders characterized at autopsy by the presence of Lewy bodies in the brain, including the clinical disorders Parkinson's Disease (PD), Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB), and Parkinson's Disease Dementia (PDD).

Lewy Body Dementia is a subset of Lewy Body Diseases that specifically pertains to dementia associated with abnormal protein deposits called Lewy bodies in the brain. It encompasses two related conditions:

1. Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB): Characterized by cognitive decline that precedes or occurs concurrently with parkinsonism.

2. Parkinson's Disease Dementia (PDD): Cognitive impairment that develops in the context of existing Parkinson's Disease diagnosis.

Key topics in this review series include the latest insights into the underlying disease mechanisms of LBD, genetic and environmental risk factors, an overview of both established and emerging disease models, examinations of neuropathological findings, and advanced approaches to clinical diagnosis and management.

We hope this series will serve as a vital resource for clinicians, researchers, and students aiming to expand their knowledge of LBD and its complex biological and clinical landscape, and to foster a deeper understanding and ultimately contribute to improved patient outcomes by integrating recent discoveries with translational applications.


Image credit: © Dr_Microbe / stock.adobe.com

  1. Parkinson disease (PD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and multiple system atrophy are synucleinopathies, characterized by neuronal loss, gliosis and the abnormal deposition of α-synuclein in vulnerable areas...

    Authors: Ambra Stefani, Elena Antelmi, Dario Arnaldi, Isabelle Arnulf, Emmanuel During, Birgit Högl, Michele M. T. Hu, Alex Iranzo, Russell Luke, John Peever, Ronald B. Postuma, Aleksandar Videnovic and Ziv Gan-Or
    Citation: Molecular Neurodegeneration 2025 20:19
    Content type: Review Published on:

  2. Gastrointestinal (GI) involvement in Lewy body diseases (LBDs) has been observed since the initial descriptions of patients by James Parkinson. Recent experimental and human observational studies raise the pos...

    Authors: Timothy R. Sampson, Malú Gámez Tansey, Andrew B. West and Rodger A. Liddle
    Citation: Molecular Neurodegeneration 2025 20:14
    Content type: Review Published on:

  3. Synucleinopathies, such as Parkinson’s disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, and multiple system atrophy, are characterized by the aggregation of α-synuclein. Variations in brain distribution allow for different...

    Authors: Jie Xiang, Zhentao Zhang, Shengxi Wu and Keqiang Ye
    Citation: Molecular Neurodegeneration 2025 20:1
    Content type: Review Published on:

Submission Guidelines

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This Collection welcomes submission of invited reviews. Before submitting your manuscript, please ensure you have read our submission guidelines.

Articles for this Collection should be submitted via our submission system, Snapp. Please select the appropriate Collection title “Emerging Insights into Lewy Body Diseases" from the dropdown menu.

Articles will undergo the journal’s standard peer-review process and are subject to all the journal’s standard policies. Articles will be added to the Collection as they are published.

The Editors have no competing interests with the submissions which they handle through the peer-review process. The peer-review of any submissions for which the Editors have competing interests is handled by another Editorial Board Member who has no competing interests.