Signs of Alzheimer’s have also been discovered in dolphin brains for the first time

The brains of three different species of dolphins that had been released were found to have the classic signs of human Alzheimer’s disease.

The shocking announcement was made by Scottish scientists, who have carried out the most extensive study to date of the possibility of dementia in these animals.

Researchers at the University of Glasgow, of St Andrews and Edinburgh, as well as the Moredun Research Institute, who made the relevant publication in the European Journal of Neuroscience, studied the brains of 22 dolphins at necropsy, all found in coastal areas of Scotland.

Of these, four aged animals from three species (nose dolphin, black-nose dolphin and white-beaked dolphin) were found to have typical Alzheimer’s pathology in their brains, including plaques of the toxic protein amyloid beta, neurofibrillary aggregates of the protein Tau, as well as accumulation of glial cells that increase the inflammation in the brain. The reason for all this in dolphins is not known.

the findings probably explain in part because some dolphins and other marine animals such as whales become stranded, trapped in very shallow water or on beaches, having followed a leader animal, but who may be suffering from Alzheimer’s confusion. However, the British scientists were unable to confirm that the dead animals with signs of Alzheimer’s actually, while alive, displayed the same cognitive/memory problems as humans suffering from this incurable neurodegenerative condition, which is the most common form of dementia. For such a thing, it would be necessary to study animals that would be alive.

Lead researcher pathologist Dr Mark Douglas of the University of Glasgow said: “These are important findings which show, for the first time, that the brain pathology in odontocetes that have been exposed is similar to the brains of people with clinical Alzheimer’s disease. Although it is tempting at this stage to speculate that the presence of these brain lesions in odontocetes is an indication that they may also suffer from cognitive deficits related to human Alzheimer’s disease, more research is needed to better understand what is happening in these animals. animals”.

Professor Frank Gunn-Moore of the University of St Andrews said: “I have always been interested in answering the question of whether only humans get dementia. Our findings answer this question, as they show that perhaps the pathology of dementia actually does not only occur in sick people”.

Professor Tara Spiers-Jones of the University of Edinburgh said: “We were impressed to see brain changes in aging dolphins similar to those seen in human aging and Alzheimer’s disease. How these pathological changes contribute to these animals becoming extinct is an interesting and important question for further research”.

See the scientific publication

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