Classical signs of human Alzheimer’s disease have been found in the brains of three different species of beached dolphins, Scottish scientists are conducting the largest study to date on the possibility of dementia in these animals.

Researchers from the universities of Glasgow, St. Andrews and Edinburgh, as well as the Moredan Research Institute, who published in the European Journal of Neuroscience, studied the brains of 22 dolphins found in the coastal regions of Scotland.

Of these, four elderly animals of three species (nosed dolphin, bottlenose dolphin and white-winged dolphin) were found to have typical Alzheimer’s pathology in the brain. The reason for all this in dolphins is not known.

The findings may partly explain why some dolphins and other marine animals, such as whales, emerge trapped in very shallow water or on the beach following a “leader” but may be suffering from confusion caused by Alzheimer’s disease. However, British scientists have not been able to confirm that dead animals with signs of Alzheimer’s disease actually showed the same cognitive/memory problems in life as people suffering from this incurable neurodegenerative disease, 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 Dr Mark Douglas of the University of Glasgow said: “These are important findings that show for the first time that the brain pathology of extinct cetaceans is similar to that of humans suffering from clinical Alzheimer’s disease.” While it is tempting at this stage to suggest that the presence of these brain lesions is a sign that they may also be suffering from the cognitive deficits associated with human Alzheimer’s disease, more research is needed to better understand what is happening in these animals. “.

With information from APE-MPE