The prodromal phase of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) includes (i) mild cognitive impairment (MCI), (ii) delirium, and (iii) psychiatric-onset presentations. The purpose of our review is to determine whether there is sufficient information yet available to justify development of diagnostic criteria for each of these. Our goal is to achieve evidence-based recommendations for the recognition of DLB at a pre-dementia, symptomatic stage. We propose operationalized diagnostic criteria for probable and possible mild cognitive impairment with LB (MCI-LB), which are intended for use in research settings pending validation for use in clinical practice. They are compatible with current criteria for other prodromal neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. While there is still insufficient evidence to propose formal criteria for delirium-onset, and psychiatric-onset presentations of DLB, we feel it important to characterise them, raising the index of diagnostic suspicion and prioritising them for further investigation.

A list of e-references to be published with the article titled "Research criteria for the diagnosis of prodromal dementia with Lewy bodies."