Some researchers found similarities between feline dementia and human cognitive deterioration, which opens new ways to investigate.
The advance of science usually constantly surprises with its unexpected discoveries. In this case, they were The cats who offered a very important track to better understand one of the most complex neurological diseases, The Alzheimer’s.
An international team of specialists analyzed the brains of older felines and detected Very similar processes to those who occur in people with this condition. This parallelism opens the possibility of finding new forms of treatment and prevention, both for animals and for humans.
Cats Together.webp
What did the experts find?
Researchers of the Edinburgh University They studied 25 cats that, during their lives, had shown signs compatible with dementia: disorientation episodes, sleep alterations and an increase in meowed.
In the microscopic exams, an accumulation of beta-amyloida toxic protein that It is also detected in patients with Alzheimer’s. This substance damages the synapses, which are the connections through which information between neurons circulates. When those unions deteriorate, memory problems and cognitive difficulties appear.
Dr. Robert McGeachan, leader of the study, stressed that cats constitute a “Natural model“To analyze the disease, since they develop the same brain changes without the need for laboratory manipulation. In addition, the intervention of support cells such as astrocytes and microglia was responsible for the call synaptic pruninga process that, although normal in development, also participates in neuronal degeneration.
The benefits of research
This finding opens a new path to better understand dementia. Being a condition that arises spontaneously in felines, scientists believe that the study of these animals offers a more realistic model than that of other traditional experiments.
Professor Danielle Gunn-More, a specialist in Feline Medicine, stressed that research Not only will it serve humansbut also to improve the quality of life of cats that suffer from this picture, which is painful for both them and their owners.
The project, funded by British and American institutions, was attended by experts from Edinburgh, California and Dementia Research Centers.
Source: Ambito
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
