The key to Alzheimer's could be in cats.

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Did you know that cat dementia could help us understand Alzheimer's? The brains of our feline companions have a surprising connection to this mysterious disease.  #Alzheimer #FelineDementia #BrainHealth

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00:00A four-legged enigma solved as our cats grow older.

00:04Many of them experience behavioral changes that, while strange to us,

00:08could hold the key to understanding one of the most enigmatic diseases of our time.

00:13Alzheimer's.

00:15A recent study has revealed a surprising truth.

00:18Just like in humans with Alzheimer's.

00:21Plaques of the beta amyloid protein build up in the brains of older cats.

00:25This accumulation occurs not only in the brains of cats showing symptoms of dementia,

00:31but in all older cats.

00:33What's truly fascinating is that these plaques accumulate directly around the synapses.

00:39The vital connections between nerve cells attacking them and unleashing a chain reaction.

00:45In response to the threat, brain immune cells like microglia and astrocytes

00:49become hyperactive a defense mechanism that, unfortunately, turns against them.

00:55Instead of just attacking the plaques, these cells also begin to damage the synapses themselves.

01:01A process that is exactly the same as what has been observed in the human brain with Alzheimer's.

01:07These striking parallels make cats a unique, natural model for studying Alzheimer's.

01:13Unlike mice, which are often genetically modified to develop the disease,

01:17cats develop it spontaneously.

01:20This makes them an invaluable tool for scientists.

01:23By further studying the brains of cats, researchers hope to better understand

01:28how this mysterious disease progresses and, hopefully,

01:32find new treatments that benefit both humans and our beloved felines.

01:36The key to Alzheimer's could lie in cats.

01:39Okay.

01:40Explainers.

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