Essential
- Cats can be dementia, like humans.
- They have brain changes similar to those with Alzheimer’s disease.
- This could make it easier to study the disease and develop treatments.
Cats can also suffer from dementia. In European Journal of Neuroscienceresearchers from the University of Edinburgh say they have discovered an accumulation of toxic beta-amyloid protein in the brain of cats with pathology, one of the characteristics of Alzheimer’s disease in humans. According to them, these similarities with the feline could help scientific research.
Alzheimer’s disease: similarities between human and feline cases
According to the authors, many elderly cats develop dementia. It manifests itself by behavioral changes such as increasing vocalizations or meowing, confusion and sleep disorders, “Symptoms similar to those observed in people with Alzheimer’s disease “they specify. In their study, they analyzed the brain of 25 felines after their deaths, some of which had signs of dementia. “”Powerful microscopic images have revealed an accumulation of beta-amyloid in synapses (connections between brain cells) of elderly cats and cats with dementia “they observe.
These connections are essential for the proper functioning of the brain. “”Their loss is a reliable indicator of a decrease in memory and cognitive capacities in people with Alzheimer’s disease “complement the Scottish authors.
How could cats improve understanding of dementia in humans?
During their analysis, researchers also found that astrocytes and microglia, important cells for the brain, “eaten “ affected synapses. “”This process, called synaptic pruning, is important during brain development, but can contribute to the loss of synapses in dementia “say scientists. According to them, these observations are precious: they will make it possible to better understand and treat dementia in cats, but given the similarities with pathology in humans, they could also “Contribute to the development of future treatments for people with Alzheimer’s disease “.
Today, most work on Alzheimer’s disease is based on genetically modified models of rodents. “”Rodents do not naturally develop dementiaspecify the authors. The study of dementia cats could advance knowledge. “ In his conclusions, Dr. Robert McGeachan, head of the study at the Royal School of Veterinary Studies from the University of Edinburgh, recalls that dementia is “devastating disease “. With this research, he hopes to be able to offer a more precise laboratory model for research, beneficial for felines and humans.
