CTVNews.ca – A new study has found that humans and cats develop dementia in similar ways, offering what scientists say are new opportunities to research conditions like Alzheimer’s disease.
The study by a team of U.K. neurological and veterinary researchers examined the brains of 25 cats donated to science after their deaths, including eight that previously showed signs of cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS), also known as feline dementia.
Brain scans of older and CDS-affected cats showed the build-up of amyloid-beta, a misfolded protein commonly associated with Alzheimer’s. Researchers say the protein can cause damage to the synapses that carry information through the brain.
Amyloid-beta build-up in the feline brain samples “mirror(ed)” conditions seen in Alzheimer’s patients, the study found, suggesting that parallel research into treatments could benefit both species.
“If we can successfully develop treatments for treating cat dementia, these might also be more successful at treating human dementia, and also, the opposite’s true,” said lead researcher Robert McGeachan in a Thursday interview.
Dementia in cats
Feline and human dementia show similar symptoms, including memory loss and cognitive decline. Pet owners may notice their cats are more anxious, vocal and visibly confused as they age, with unusual sleep or social patterns and increasing difficulty keeping clean.
One study estimated that more than one in four cats over the age of 11 showed signs of feline CDS, a proportion that rose to one in two after age 15 …
