best Man model. Canine (top) and human (bottom) show similar brain degeneration with age
SEATTLE -. A simple cocktail of vitamins and supplements can significantly slow the loss of brain function associated with aging in dogs, according to a new study presented here on February 15 at the annual meeting of the AAAS. The results could have implications for delaying or preventing Alzheimer's disease in humans.
Aging dogs suffer from memory loss and the ability similar to that observed in humans who will develop Alzheimer learning. Canine brain also accumulate in plaques b amyloid fragments destructive proteins suspected of being associated with Alzheimer's disease in humans, which makes dogs a useful model for the study of disease. Previously, neuroscientist Carl Cotman of the University of California, Irvine, and colleagues tested the cognitive abilities of older beagles that were given a combination of vitamins C and E, some fruits and vegetables, and alpha-lipoic acid and acetylcarnitine, two compounds normally present in small quantities in the body which reduce production of free radicals thought to be involved in Alzheimer's disease. They found that the mixture has stimulated the learning and memory skills of dogs compared with dogs of the same age who did not take supplements.
To determine if the mixture has reduced the accumulation of b amyloid beta plaques, Cotman team compared the brains of beagles who took the supplements for years to those who had not. They found that dogs on the diet had developed 40% fewer plates. "We were blown away by the results," said Cotman. Studies in rodents have also found an improvement in cognitive function with one or more supplements. But because rodents do not naturally produce the plates, these studies used transgenic mice and rats. Because the neurological and cognitive decay dogs mimics more closely that of humans, Cotman said the beagle study offers new hope that humans may also benefit from the diet.
the work "is innovative and potentially very important," says John Breitner of the University of Washington, Seattle, who studies the impact of Alzheimer's disease in aging human populations. A treatment that delays the onset of the disease could be a huge benefit to public health and save millions of dollars per year, he and others say.
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