Growing old isn’t easy –
aging orangutans may
su er from memory
loss due to dementia.
Q&A
S
omelonger-livedanimalsdodevelop
dementia-like symptoms. Older
dogs and cats may suffer from cognitive
dysfunction syndrome, which manifests
as confusion, anxiety and memory loss.
In the wild, the picture is less clear.
Wildlife with symptoms would starve,
be predated or both – so if such animals
exist, they’re rare. That said, scientists
who studied the post-mortem brains of
aged monkeys, orangutans and polar
bears found that they indeed sometimes
contain abnormal clumps of a protein
called amyloid. Similar clumps in the
brains of people with dementia hinder
nerve cell communication, so animals
with this feature are also likely to have
memory problems. Smaller animals
with shorter lifespans don’t seem to get
dementia, though scientists have altered
the DNA of lab mice and rats so they
develop dementia-like symptoms. The
hope is that these animal models will aid
the development of new therapies for this
currently incurable group of diseases.
Helen Pilcher
Doanimals
get dementia?
DISEASE