Scientists in Edinburgh believe the discovery could help their research into new treatments for Alzheimer's.

Cats develop dementia in a similar way to humans with Alzheimer’s disease, leading to hopes of a breakthrough in research, according to scientists.

Experts at the University of Edinburgh carried out a post-mortem brain examination on 25 cats which had symptoms of dementia in life, including confusion, sleep disruption and an increase in vocalisation.

The team believe the discovery in cats could help them get a clearer understanding of the process, offering a valuable model for studying dementia in people.

The study, funded by Wellcome and the UK Dementia Research Institute, is published in the European Journal of Neuroscience, and included scientists from the Universities of Edinburgh and California, UK Dementia Research Institute and Scottish Brain Sciences.

  • Rhaedas@fedia.io
    18·
    1 day ago

    You’ll know. When her behavior gets to the point where she’s not having good quality of life, if she starts hiding all the time, panicking regularly, or finding dark places to be alone, or grooming/litterbox issues. I think if she just has bouts of memory loss but they return and she’s happy, it’s not time yet. I’ve been “fortunate” with my pets in that whatever the issue was, each time it became obvious very quickly and made the decision easy (but still hard to deal with, it always is).