Scientists find signs of Alzheimer’s disease in dolphin brains

A recent study published in the European Journal of Neuroscience found that three species of dolphin showed signs of Alzheimer’s disease.

Researchers hope the new findings will provide greater insight into the disease and its effects on humans.

Scientists conducted a postmortem study of three species of dolphin found stranded along the Scottish coast, according to a study published earlier this month.

A total of 22 dolphin brains were studied, and the researchers noted that the animals showed changes in brain chemistry. This change is most commonly seen in humans with Alzheimer’s disease.

In a statement, co-author Tara Spiers-Jones of the study said her team had “found changes in the brains of aged dolphins similar to those in humans (aging) and Alzheimer’s disease.” I was fascinated by,” he said.

“Whether these pathological changes contribute to stranding in these animals is an interesting and important question for future research,” Spiers-Jones added.

The findings follow news that an Alzheimer’s drug moderately slowed the inevitable deterioration of brain disease, but it remains unclear how much difference it will make to people’s lives. be.

Japanese pharmaceutical company Eisai and its US partner Biogen announced early this fall After many disappointments in my quest for a better cure for an incurable disease, a drug called lecanemab seemed to be working.

Late Tuesday, the company provided the full results of a study of about 1,800 people in the early stages of the mind-sapping disease. Published in of Medicine.

Eisai’s Dr. Michael Irizary told the Associated Press that lecanemab delayed the deterioration of patients by about five months in an 18-month trial. Patients who received lecanemab were also 31% less likely to progress their disease to the next stage during the study.

Irizary said that when people perform better, “it leads to more time spent in the early stages.”

Every two weeks, study participants received intravenous lecanemab or a dummy injection. Researchers followed them using an 18-point scale that measures cognitive and functional ability.

A key finding of the study: Patients receiving lecanemab declined more slowly, by less than 0.5 points on the scale over 18 months, the research team, led by Dr. Christopher Van Dyke of Yale University, concluded. I was.

Doctors are divided on how much difference it makes for patients and families. Especially since the drug has potential safety risks of concern, such as brain swelling.

“The small differences reported in this trial are unlikely to be noticed by individual patients,” said Dr. Madhav Thambiseti of the National Institute on Aging.

He said many researchers believe that meaningful improvement requires at least a full-point difference on that 18-point scale.

But Dr. Ron Petersen, an Alzheimer’s disease specialist at the Mayo Clinic, said the drug’s effects were “modest, but I think it’s clinically relevant.” functioning independently.

The trial is important because it shows a drug that attacks a sticky protein called amyloid — believed to be one of several culprits Maria Carrillo, chief scientific officer of the Alzheimer’s Association, says it can slow the progression of the disease behind Alzheimer’s disease.

“We all understand that this is not a cure, and we are really trying to understand what it means to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, because this is the first time.

But the delay in early cognitive decline has implications for “how much time you can spend with your loved ones during the disease stage, when you can enjoy family, outings, vacations, and to-do lists.”

Amyloid-targeted drugs can cause side effects, including brain swelling and bleeding, as did lecanemab. One type of this swelling was seen in approximately 13% of recipients. Eisai said most were mild or asymptomatic.

Also, two deaths have been publicly reported among lecanemab users who were taking blood-thinning drugs for other health problems. said.

But Mayo’s Petersen said that if lecanemab were approved for use in the United States, it would avoid prescribing it to people taking blood thinners, at least initially.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.