Chimpanzees get Alzheimer’s too – and studying their brains could help scientists develop a cure
IT'S not just humans who have to deal with the fear of developing Alzheimer's.
Scientists have discovered similar conditions in the brains of elderly chimpanzees.
Alzheimer's is caused by a build-up of amyloid beta proteins in the brain, which causes plaques and tangles.
These plaques block connections between nerve cells in the brain - and ultimately the death of those cells and a loss of brain tissue.
In humans, the symptoms include memory loss and can cause hallucinations and delusions, while many will develop behaviours that are unusual or out of character.
It's unclear whether the animals that developed brain plaques and tangles are also suffering from dementia.
“Our samples had been collected over decades, without any consistent or rigorous cognitive data accompanying them,” Mary Ann Raghanti of Kent State University, Ohio, in whose lab the work was performed, told .
"So it wasn’t possible to say whether the chimps had a devastating cognitive loss or not."
While it isn't clear exactly what symptoms the primates suffer, the discovery could aid treatment in humans.
What are the signs and symptoms of Alzheimer's?
- Losing common items - including keys and glasses - around the house
- Struggling to find the word they are looking for in conversation
- Forgetting recent conversations or events
- Getting lost in a familiar place, or while on a familiar journey
- Forgetting important anniversaries, birthdays or appointments
- Speech problems – a person may struggle to follow a conversation or find they are often repeating themselves
- Problems judging distance, navigating stairs or parking the car
- Difficulties making decisions and solving problems
- Losing track of the day or date
There is a school of thought that the classic plaques and tangles of the disease may be by-products rather than the actual cause.
The fact that apes are not displaying dementia symptoms but have the same biological problem could reinforce this theory.
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If scientists could identify the differences between the human and chimp brain they might be able to pinpoint what is causing this degeneration - and could help find a cure.
Experts have pinpointed some ways which might put off the symptoms of Alzheimer's or Dementia, including exercising more in your 40s and 50s.
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