>>> THIS PAST FRIDAY, A 
CALIFORNIA CORONER RULED ROBIN 
WILLIAMS' DEATH A SUICIDE, NOW 
WE'RE LEARNING SPECIFIC ABOUT 
WHAT MAY HAVE LED THE ACTOR TO 
HANG HIMSELF IN AUGUST.
HIS WIDOW SAID WILLIAMS HAS 
PARKINSON'S BUT A PATHOLOGY 
REPORT REVEALS HE ALSO SUFFERED 
THE LEWY BODY DEMENTIA, THAT'S 
THE SAME DISEASE RADIO ICON 
CASEY KASEM HAD BEFORE HE PASSED
AWAY IN JUNE.
WITH ME NOW TO TALK ABOUT THIS, 
THE ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF 
ANESTHESIOLOGY AT THE NYU SCHOOL
OF MEDICINE.
DR. DEVI, THAT IS MAN SO MANY 
PEOPLE HAD WARM FEELINGS FOR AND
WERE ENTERTAIN BID SO THERE ARE 
A LOT OF QUESTIONS WHEN WE LEARN
ABOUT REALLY ADDITIONAL 
INFORMATION HERE, THIS LEWY BODY
DEMENTIA.
WHAT IS IT, EXACTLY?
>> LEWY BODY DEMENTIA IS VERY 
SIMILAR TO PARKINSON'S SO YOU 
CAN HAVE SOME OF THE SAME 
PROBLEMS WITH YOUR MOVEMENTS AND
YOUR THINKING.
THERE'S SOME OVERLAP WITH 
ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE BUT ONE OF 
THE THINGS THAT MAKES IT 
DIFFICULT TO TELL IS THAT, YOU 
KNOW, REALLY TO TELL THE 
DIFFERENCE YOU MIGHT GET A BRAIN
BIOPSY TO LOOK AT WHAT THE BRAIN
LOOKS LIKE UNDER THE MICROSCOPE 
BUT THERE'S NOT A GOOD ADVANTAGE
TO DOING THAT BECAUSE SINCE WE 
DON'T HAVE A CURE FOR 
PARKINSON'S, SINCE WE DON'T HAVE
A CURE FOR LEWY BODY DEMENTIA, 
WHY PUT SOMEONE THROUGH THE 
RISKS?
SO YOU TRY TO MANAGE THE 
SYMPTOMS.
>> YOU CAN IMAGINE THE RISKS 
WITH A BRAIN BIOPSY.
THE CORONER'S REPORT, DR. DEVI, 
SAID WILLIAMS HAD A "INCREASE IN
PARANOIA."
WHERE WOULD THAT COME FROM?
WOULD THAT BE FROM THE LEWY BODY
DEMENTIA?
>> IT COULD BE.
IT COULD ALSO BE FROM THE 
MEDICATIONS THAT ARE USUALLY 
USED TO MANAGE THESE THINGS SO 
TO UNDERSTAND, LEWY BODY 
DEMENTIA IS SIMILAR TO 
PARKINSON'S DISEASE IN THAT 
PEOPLE HAVE A PROBLEM 
CONTROLLING THEIR MOVEMENTS SO 
IF YOU'VE EVER POTTY TRAINED A 
CHILD OR TRIED TO TRAIN A PET, 
WHEN YOU GET THE BEHAVIOR THAT 
YOU WANT, YOU REWARD IT, RIGHT?
AND WHEN YOU SEE SOMETHING YOU 
DON'T WANT, YOU DON'T GIVE IT A 
REWARD.
SO THE BRAIN DOES THE SAME THING
WITH YOUR MOVEMENTS SO LET'S SAY
YOU WANT TO WALK ACROSS THE 
ROOM, YOUR BRAIN GIVES YOU A 
REWARD CHEMICAL CALLED DOPAMINE 
AND WHEN YOU DO SOMETHING YOU 
DON'T WANT, YOU DON'T GET 
DOPAMINE.
SO IN PARKINSON'S AND LEWY BODY 
DISEASE, THE PROBLEM IS YOU 
DON'T HAVE ENOUGH DOPAMINE AND 
IT'S NOT MANAGED PROP SLOIR 
THAT'S WHY PEOPLE LET'S SAY 
THEY'RE TRYING TO WALK OR TALK 
OR DO SOMETHING THAT REQUIRES 
MUSCLE MUTUALS, IF THEY DON'T 
HAVE DOPAMINE, THEY HAVE A HARD 
TIME DOING IT SO PEOPLE WITH 
PARKINSON'S TENDS TO HAVE 
PROBLEMS MOVING.
NOW THEY CAN GET REWARDED WITH 
THIS CHEMICAL FOR MOVEMENTS THAT
THEY DON'T WANT, LIKE A TREMOR.
WHICH IS WHY YOU SEE ABNORMAL 
MOVEMENTS SOMETIMES.
SO IT'S REALLY A PROBLEM IN 
TERMS OF REGULATING THE 
MOVEMENT.
WHEN YOU TAKE THESE MEDICATIONS,
THE OTHER PROBLEM THAT HAPPENS 
IS THAT THIS MEDICATION CAN 
CAUSE HALLUCINATIONS, SO IT'S A 
MIRACLE DRUG FOR SOME BECAUSE IT
ALLOWS THEM TO DO THOSE 
MOVEMENTS THAT THEY WANT.
SO IT ALLOWS THEM TO TALK AND 
INTERACT WITH THEIR FAMILY, DO 
DIFFERENT THINGS.
BUT THE PROBLEM IS, YOU CAN'T 
TOTALLY CONTROL WHERE IT'S GOING
TO END UP SO IF YOU TAKE IT BY 
MOUTH, IT CAN WORK ON OTHER 
PARTS OF THE BRAIN WHERE YOU 
DON'T WANT IT TO WORK AND IT CAN
CAUSE HALLUCINATIONS.
NOW LEWY BODY DEMENTIA ITSELF 
CAN CAUSE THAT PROBLEM AS WELL 
BECAUSE YOU CAN'T REGULATE THAT 
CHEMICAL.
BUT THAT COULD -- THOSE COULD BE
FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTED HERE.
>> COULD THERE BE A CONFUSION 
BETWEEN THE PARKINSON'S DISEASE 
AND BETWEEN LEWY BODY DEMENTIA?
BECAUSE, LIKE YOU SAID, YOU 
DON'T REALLY MOW IF A PATIENT 
HAS LEWY BODY DEMENTIA MOST 
TIMES UNTIL THEY PASSED AWAY. 
>> EXACTLY.
THERE IS CONFUSION BECAUSE IN 
PARKINSON'S YOU CAN ALSO SEE 
LEWY BODIES.
LEWY BODIES ARE LITTLE 
MICROSCOPIC DEPOSITS THAT END UP
IN THE BRAIN.
AND WE'RE NOT SURE WHAT THEIR 
FUNCTION IS, IF THEY'RE JUST 
DEBRIS LIKE YOUR BRAIN IS TAKING
OUT THE TRASH OR WHAT THEY ARE.
BUT YOU CAN SEE THEM BOTH IN 
PARKINSON'S AND IN LEWY BODY 
DEMENTIA.
THE ONLY DIFFERENCE IS WITH LEWY
BODY DEMENTIA, YOU SEE THINGS 
THAT ARE SIMILAR TO ALZHEIMER'S 
DISEASE SO, AGAIN, BECAUSE WE 
DON'T HAVE A CURE FOR 
ALZHEIMER'S FOR LEWY BODY 
DEMENTIA OR PARKINSON'S, WE 
DON'T DO A LOT OF INVASIVE 
THINGS TO FIGURE OUT THE 
DIFFEREN
