Cindy's Blog

"MUTANT" RATS MAY HELP STUDY ALZHEIMER'S!

What a title! I've just learned that Professor Claudio Cuello and his collaborators at McGill University (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) have managed to create rats that can mimic Alzheimer's disease in humans. They have genetically manipulated these rats so that peptides typical of Alzheimer's accumulate in their brains. This will allow researchers to detect and study the evolution of deficits seen in memory and learning in Alzheimer's. While scientists have been able to produce mice with the peptides, apparently rats are smarter than mice and their behaviors are much more predictable, so when the disease progresses in the rats, the progression through the phases can now be measured. This research was published March 29, 2010 in the April edition of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. Who would have thought RATS would be helpful to us in our quest to conquer Alzheimer's?

Alzheimer's and Dementia Counseling and Education
call Cindy Keith of M.I.N.D. in Memory Care
(814)-235-0691
keithc@mindinmemorycare.com

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