Cats develop dementia similarly to humans
Previously, researchers have studied genetically modified rodents, although the species does not naturally suffer from dementia.
In feline dementia brains, a build-up was found of amyloid-beta, a toxic protein and one of the defining features of Alzheimer's disease, leading to hopes of a 'wonderful' breakthrough due to increased accuracy.
The breakthrough was hailed as a 'perfect natural model for Alzheimer's' by scientists who worked on it.
Microscopy images revealed a build-up of amyloid-beta within synapses of older cats and feline dementia, and scientists hope the findings offer a clearer idea of how amyloid-beta may lead to feline cognitive dysfunction and memory loss, offering a valuable model for studying dementia in people.
Synapses allow the flow of messages between brain cells, and losing these causes reduced memory and thinking abilities in humans with Alzheimer's.
Researchers found evidence that brain support cells, astrocytes and microglia, engulfed the affected synapses, known as synaptic pruning, an important process during brain development but which contributes to dementia.
Experts believe the findings could contribute to the development of new treatments for Alzheimer's disease, as well as help to understand and manage feline dementia.
Previously, scientists studying Alzheimer's relied on genetically modified rodent models. However, studying feline dementia has the potential to help develop human treatments, due to increased accuracy, it is hoped.
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.
Dr Robert McGeachan, study lead from the University of Edinburgh's Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, said: 'Dementia is a devastating disease – whether it affects humans, cats, or dogs. Our findings highlight the striking similarities between feline dementia and Alzheimer's disease in people.
'This opens the door to exploring whether promising new treatments for human Alzheimer's disease could also help our ageing pets.
'Because cats naturally develop these brain changes, they may also offer a more accurate model of the disease than traditional laboratory animals, ultimately benefiting both species and their caregivers.'
Professor Danielle Gunn-Moore, personal chair of Feline Medicine at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, said: 'Feline dementia is so distressing for the cat and for its person.
'It is by undertaking studies like this that we will understand how best to treat them. This will be wonderful for the cats, their owners, people with Alzheimer's and their loved ones.
'Feline dementia is the perfect natural model for Alzheimer's – everyone benefits.'
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The Herald Scotland
20 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Scottish wearable technology company bought by English firm
The acquisition of Edinburgh-based Reactec by software group Ideagen, which has its head office in Nottingham, was announced yesterday. The price was not disclosed. Reactec, founded in 2001 as a spin-out from the University of Edinburgh, produces innovative wearable technology which allows real-time monitoring of workers' exposure to health and safety risks, with intuitive data analytics to help employers prevent what the company has described as 'degenerative and impactful health problems'. Summing up the company's technology and applications in an interview with The Herald earlier this year, Reactec chief executive Jacqui McLaughlin said: 'It's possible to measure many of the risks in the workplace that cause irreversible harm that accumulates over time, significantly impacting quality of life. 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It added: 'Reactec's workplace wearables and cloud-based analytics enable businesses to take a more proactive approach to the management of workplace hazards such as exposure to vibration, dust, noise, and proximity to hazards.' Reactec has an annual turnover of around £5.75 million, and employs 37 people. Ben Dorks, chief executive of Ideagen, said yesterday: 'This is a significant milestone for Ideagen as we continue to invest in technologies that address real-world challenges faced by our customers. "Reactec's wearable technology and data analytics are a perfect complement to our portfolio, putting cutting-edge tools directly into the hands of those who need it most.' In the wake of the deal being announced, Ms McLaughlin said yesterday: 'At Reactec, our core mission has always been to protect workers and provide actionable insights that foster healthier and safer work environments. "Becoming part of Ideagen allows us to extend our reach and provide even greater value to organisations that are forward thinking in their approach to enhancing the health and wellbeing of their workers." She added: "We, like Ideagen, seek to prevent and not simply mitigate risk. We can totally see the value our technology can bring to Ideagen's existing customer base and look forward to working with them to deliver real impact.' Read more After the 2005 Control of Vibration at Work Regulations, Reactec developed technologies to protect employees from harmful vibration exposure. Reactec now offers connected worker information management through advanced data automation and analysis. In July 2022, Reactec launched the R-Link smart watch, protecting wearers from risks such as hand-arm vibration, harmful particulates, and proximity to moving vehicles or machinery. Reactec noted that the watch, combined with its analytics, 'provides employers with insights to proactively manage workplace risks'. Reactec's products, which are manufactured in the UK, serve industries including construction, transport, aviation, and manufacturing. Scottish investment syndicate Archangel Investors was an early investor in Reactec, supporting the company's evolution from a specialised hand-arm vibration monitoring solution to a comprehensive workplace safety platform using wearable technology and data analytics. David Ovens, joint managing director of Archangel Investors, said: "Over several years, Archangels has supported Reactec's transformation from a narrow HAVS (hand-arm vibration syndrome) application to a broad workplace safety platform, delivering meaningful health outcomes for workers. 'We're particularly pleased to see recent strong growth in both domestic and international markets, and we look forward to seeing the business flourish as part of Ideagen's global network, which provides the perfect springboard for expansion.' The companies declared that, by integrating Reactec's advanced wearable technology platform with Ideagen's environmental health and safety software, 'customers will gain access to unparalleled tools to monitor and more importantly manage critical workplace health and safety risks'. Ideagen, which provides software for companies in regulated or 'high-compliance' industries such as aviation, financial services, life sciences, healthcare and manufacturing to help solve 'complex quality, health and safety risk, audit and collaboration challenges', counts more than 16,000 companies as customers. It noted its customer base includes 'some of the world's biggest names in mining and construction, 250 global aviation organisations, nine of the top global aerospace and defence corporations, 15 of the top 20 global pharmaceutical companies, over 900 hospitals and healthcare centres and nine of the top 10 accounting firms'. This deal is Ideagen's sixth acquisition in 2025, and yesterday's announcement followed news last week of the purchase of WorkSafe Guardian.
Daily Record
a day ago
- Daily Record
Pensioner's four top tips for looking '25 years younger' including eating one vegetable
Many of us wish for our youthful looks back once we reach a certain age - and there are some things that can help. While there are many advantages to getting older - including being more settled in your life and becoming more worldly wise - it's no secret that your age can begin to show. Many of us wish for our youthful looks back once we reach a certain age. And while we may be very happy with who we are, trying to look a few years younger isn't uncommon. There are lots of lotions and potions that promise anti-ageing properties, while others try different lifestyle changes to try and roll back the years. One thing that many people think knocks off a few years is having a good tan. Sun-kissed skin can make you look and feel healthier and younger. But one expert has warned against using certain tanning methods and has suggested something much easier; eating one particular vegetable, reports The Express. TikTok user @healthcaretipswithjules is a 77-year-old woman who has shared four tips that she believes have helped her look 25 years younger. The septuagenarian says her go-to remedies make her "look younger than 50." In one video, she says: "Stop using fake tans or tanning beds, your skin can become too dry eventually. Simply eating carrots every single day can increase the melanin in your skin, helping you tan naturally." According to the Cookist, eating foods rich in beta-carotene, a vitamin A that naturally boosts melanin production, is essential to develop a healthy and glowing tan. These foods include yellow, red, or orange fruits and veggies like carrots, peppers, apricots, peaches, watermelon, melon, strawberries, and cherries. revealed that "most nonmelanoma skin cancers (NMSC) and a large percentage of melanomas are associated with exposure to UV rays from natural sunlight and/or indoor tanning." 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For those looking for a cheaper alternative, Nutri-Things offer Nicotinamide Riboside Supplement 300mg capsules for £13.99. One five-star reviewer said: "I have to say that I do notice a difference [after taking these capsules daily]. There is no big obvious energy boost, but you suddenly realise that you are doing more and not getting so tired. "I am not flagging in the evenings after work, in fact, I'm just as alert as at the start of the day and able to think as clearly. Before I'd be yawning and nodding off and that has stopped." But someone else said: "Didn't notice any difference from taking it, so I stopped after a month." Another happy customer described the capsules as "an ideal source of natural energy". They added: "It takes a few days to get into the system, but once there you will feel the difference." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
Edinburgh Reporter
a day ago
- Edinburgh Reporter
Fringe 2025: The Provocateurs: Compassion During Birth/Screw Up or Breakthrough?
The Provocateurs is The Stand's new series of debates, featuring academics who have to tell us about their research while making it fun – and provocative – all in the space of twenty minutes. And if that sounds familiar, it is. Last year these events were part of the Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas sessions but, as our host Susan Morrison tells us, 'The Young People said we needed a rebrand.' Fortunately, even if (by her own admission), Morrison find 'provocateurs' a tricky word to get her Glaswegian tongue around, nothing else has really changed. We're still promised an interesting, entertaining and thought-provoking hour (with time for questions) from two researchers at the top of their game. On Thursday, our first speaker is Lucy Remnant (University of Edinburgh), a scientist studying DNA and chromosomes. But before she gets onto those, Remnant wants to tell us about scientific mistakes, of which it seems there are rather a lot. Is that a bad thing? 'NO!' Students are taught, says Lucy, to learn from their mistakes but not to repeat them – when in fact, looking at them and repeating them can sometimes lead to massive breakthroughs. Lucy cites Alexander Fleming. He discovered penicillin, right? What a genius! But if Fleming hadn't left a plate of bacteria out when he went on holiday, he'd never have found a fungus growing on that bacteria when he came back. That fungus was preventing the bacteria from growing. It was promptly named penicillin, and went on to have a stellar career of its own, saving the lives of many soldiers in World War One. In 1895, Wilhelm Conrad Rontgen, a German physicist, was busy shooting cathode rays through chemicals. On a whim, he decided to shoot some through his own pelvis. He wasn't supposed to be doing this (who knew?) but ta-dah! He discovered X-Rays and they've been used to take photos of bones ever since. In her own field, Lucy tells us about Linus Pauling. He published what he thought was the chemical structure of DNA; a year later James Watson and Francis Crick found out he'd got it wrong – and by looking at where he'd gone wrong, they got it right. To illustrate her research, Lucy produces some knitted socks. Except they're not socks – they're tubes of chromosomes. Possibly… Each sock has a pair, except one sad one that gets left behind and feels uncomfortable. It's likely that 1% of the population has a different number of chromosomes from the standard 46. These are mistakes made by cells, and it's those mistakes – which may cause anything from Down's Syndrome to cancer and fertility problems – that Lucy's investigating. And a human mistake – or rather a failure to follow a protocol – has led to her lab's discovery of a new and simpler way to isolate chromosomes, and so to the writing of a new, simpler, protocol. Lucy is all for students being taught not to fear mistakes, but how can this happen when, as Morrison points out, scientists may well be penalised for making them? Pressures of funding, the need to publish authoritative papers – even, as Lucy reminds us, the hyper sterile environments now demanded in labs, all conspire against the idea that short term failure can bring long term benefits. Lucy is part of a new network that plans to change things, 'It's the messy edges where breakthroughs can come through. It would be better to teach young people to fail often.' A tricky idea when the pressure to be perfect in all things has perhaps never been greater, but as Morrison suggest, all we need to do is be more cat. When something goes wrong, just walk away with the classic 'I meant to do that 'look. Because if anyone knows how to do nonchalance, it's definitely our feline friends. Our second speaker appears in an oversized hospital gown. Yvonne Kuipers is Professor of Midwifery at Edinburgh Napier University, an honorary professor at the University of Antwerp and an NMC Registered Midwife. Her research looks at women's experiences of birth and how these might be improved. Yvonne's presentation begins with voiceovers of comments passed on to interviewers by the women who were on the receiving end of them. Women are told to 'stop moaning' to 'be a good girl.' They are regularly told that they should be grateful they have a healthy baby, regardless of whether they've been ignored, mocked, cut, stitched, given medication without consent and totally traumatised. A pilot lands a plane safely; he gets a round of applause. Beyonce performs Crazy and gets a standing ovation, 'Childbirth is special, sacred…the women doing it should be honoured, applauded, given flowers, diamonds.' What happens to most women? They're left flailing on their backs under bright lights, with no privacy and a constant stream of medical staff coming in and out of the room. In 'normal' life, says Yvonne, the things done to women in childbirth would be classed as assault. In the labour ward, they're just 'routine procedure.' Women do not forget childbirth. Even if it all happened years ago, when Yvonne talks with them they remember it as if it were yesterday, and few of them see it as a positive experience. A 2004 report showed that there had been no improvement in birth outcomes in high income countries; this led to efforts being focused entirely on the reduction of neo-natal deaths, and blame for poor outcomes being directed at women. Mothers are labelled too fat, too thin, too old, too everything. If a woman in labour disagrees with a medical professional, what Yvonne calls 'the dead baby card' is swiftly played; you'd better accept what we say, you don't want to risk your baby's life, do you? Again and again, women are told to be 'grateful.' And it doesn't end at birth, says Yvonne. Women who feel traumatised by this lack of compassion can suffer post-natal depression; their relationship with their partner may deteriorate. They will be reluctant to go to their doctor with their problems because they have lost any hope of being listened to. The lack of compassion and dignity in birth silences women, and yet again they are told just to be 'glad your baby's healthy' – which of course makes them feel guilty for having any negative feelings at all. A traumatic birth full of intervention teaches a woman that her body is not her own, and leads to a wider, societal fear of childbirth. My own mother told me not to let my daughters watch Call the Midwife as 'it will put them off forever' – and that was the early series, when the same midwife visited the woman in her home and delivered her baby there too. Long gone are those halcyon days. Yvonne wants to change things. Compassion and dignity should not, she says, be optional; consent should never be non-negotiable. Childbirth has become over-medicalised and rife with protocols; it's very difficult for a midwife, no matter how empathetic, to do anything differently. There's a well-documented shortage of midwives, and an even better-documented lack of cash in the NHS coffers. Is change even feasible? Midwives work on an inflexible shift system which means they can rarely stay with a woman throughout labour. Hospitals want women in and out of beds as soon as possible – will there ever be space for a woman to take longer than her allocated time to deliver? The only people likely to be allowed that luxury are surely those who can afford to pay for it? Yvonne believes we have to try. Communication, or rather lack of it, is, she says, a big part of the problem in all medical care. Whilst there may not be time to get consent in an emergency, it would normally be perfectly possible to ask a woman if she agrees with the proposed course of action. Is there a way to build compassion into midwifery training? And even if there is, can it be put into practice given the constraints under which midwives work? This was an interesting talk and one that raised more questions than it answered. I'm sure most mothers, or women planning a pregnancy, would like to hear more about Yvonne's work in future, but much as I would like to see her views in action, I fear that nothing will change in our underfunded, overloaded, system for many years to come. The Provocateurs series continues throughout the Fringe at The Stand, York Place (venue numbers vary.) Please note many events, including these ones, take place in buildings other than The Stand's main venue, though still on York Place. On Monday 18 August at 11.25am Chris Purcell will speak on Learn with Your Body and Michael Leavitt on Knocks to the Head, followed at 5.40pm by Chris Elsden on Children's Money and Berengere Digard on Minds Eyes. Further talks include Urban Camping, Sleep Myths, Robot Romance, Brain Health Roulette, Gender Fears, Women in Iranian Cinema, and many more. For details visit The Stand's website and click on the Fringe tab. Like this: Like Related
