Researchers Find Pathological Signs Of Alzheimer's In Dolphins, Whose Brains Are Much Like Humans'

A team of scientists in the United Kingdom and the U.S. recently reported the discovery of pathological signs of Alzheimer's disease in dolphins, animals whose brains are similar in many ways to those of humans. This is the first time that these signs – neurofibrillary tangles and two kinds of protein clusters called plaques – have been discovered together in marine mammals. As neuroscience researchers, we believe this discovery has added significance because of the similarities between dolphin brains and human brains. The new finding in dolphins supports the research team's hypothesis that two factors conspire to raise the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease in dolphins. Those factors are: longevity with a long post-fertility life span – that is, a species living, on average, many years after the child-bearing years are over – and insulin signaling.