AANP Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Practice Exam 2025 – The All-in-One Resource to Ensure Exam Success!

Visual hallucinations are notably associated with Lewy-body dementia, which is characterized by the presence of Lewy bodies—abnormal protein deposits—within brain cells. This type of dementia often presents with distinctive symptoms, including fluctuating cognitive function, pronounced visual hallucinations, and parkinsonian features such as rigidity and bradykinesia.

In Lewy-body dementia, visual hallucinations may occur early in the disease process and can be vivid and detailed, which significantly differentiates it from other types of dementia. The hallucinations may be benign or distressing to the patient and can sometimes lead to confusion regarding the patient's perception of reality.

While Alzheimer's disease predominantly involves memory impairment and can lead to other types of hallucinations as the disease progresses, visual hallucinations are not central to its presentation. Vascular dementia is primarily due to reduced blood flow to the brain and is characterized more by cognitive impairment and potential mood changes rather than specific hallucinations. Frontotemporal dementia typically affects personality, behavior, and language, and is less commonly associated with hallucinations.

This information highlights the unique relationship between Lewy-body dementia and visual hallucinations, underscoring why it is the correct association in this scenario.