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Dolphin brain shows signs of Alzheimer's. Why is this study so important?

Dolphin brain shows signs of Alzheimer's. Why is this study so important?

The brains of three species of dolphin found along the Scottish coast have shown the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease is a common neurodegenerative disorder that mostly affects older people, with symptoms such as memory loss, forgetfulness and confusion.

According to a study published on December 13 in the European Journal of Neuroscience, researchers in Scotland conducted post-mortem studies on the brains of 22 odontocetes, or toothed whales, making their findings more detailed than others.

Studimi shqyrtoi ekzemplarë nga pesë lloje: delfinët Risso, balenat pilot me krahë të gjatë, delfinët me sqep të bardhë, derrat e portit dhe delfinët me hundë shishe. Nga 22 të studiuar, 18 ishin ekzemplarë të moshuar.

Gjetjet treguan se tre delfinë të moshuar - një balenë pilot me pendë të gjatë, një delfin me sqep të bardhë dhe një delfin me hundë shishe - paraqitën ndryshime në tru, ose lezione, të lidhura me sëmundjen e Alzheimerit si tek njerëzit.

Tara Spires-Jones, një tjetër bashkëautore e studimit, tha në një deklaratë këtë javë se studiuesit “ishin të magjepsur të shihnin ndryshimet e trurit te delfinët e moshuar të ngjashëm me ato të njeriut (plakje) dhe sëmundjes Alzheimer”.

"Whether these pathological changes contribute to the blockage in these animals is an interesting and important question for future work," said Spiers-Jones, personal chair of neurodegeneration at the University of Edinburgh's Deanery of Biomedical Sciences.

The researchers found that the specimens had accumulated phospho-tau protein and glial cells and had formed amyloid-beta plaques, the accumulation of a protein found in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease.

The distribution of these lesions was comparable to brain regions in people with Alzheimer's, according to the study.

This means that through dolphins, science can find out more about Alzheimer's in humans.