Physical exercise can “clean up” the environment, allowing new nerve cells to survive and thrive and improving cognition in the Alzheimer’s mice.
Read MoreArticle Written by: Sara Reardon Analysis of chimp brains reveals protein plaques and tangles that signal brain disease in humans, but whether the animals can develop dementia is unclear. [caption id="attachment_899" align="alignright" width="239"] Photo credit: Fiona Rogers/Minden Pictures/FLPA[/caption] Aged chimpanzees develop brain characteristics that are similar — but not identical…
Read MoreA drug developed for type 2 diabetes has "significantly reversed memory loss" in mice with Alzheimer's disease, and researchers now want to test it on humans. The treatment is exciting for scientists because it works by protecting the brain cells attacked by Alzheimer's disease in three separate ways, rather…
Read MoreMice are the foundation for numerous advances in medicine, including therapies for cancer, heart disease, hypertension, metabolic and hormonal disorders, diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis, glaucoma, skin pigmentation diseases, blindness, deafness, neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, birth defects, and psychiatric disorders including anxiety, depression and schizophrenia.
Visit Species PageResearchers view a marmoset’s MRI as part of an aging study to explore links between energy metabolism and neural function. Diseases related to aging are serious concerns for the world's rapidly expanding population of older adults. Some of these include: Type 2 diabetes, many cancers, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, obesity, metabolic syndrome,…
View and ShareFruit flies have helped to develop drugs designed to treat a range of diseases from skin infections and genetic disorders to pneumonia, and meningitis. Some of the recent research with fruit flies has focused on understanding Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s disease, spastic paraplegia, cancer, obesity and insomnia.
Visit Species PageThis is Seraphina, a Rock Dove or pigeon. She contributes to studies focused on understanding “homing” and how the brain supports navigation and memory. People who lose their orientation, as a result of diseases such as Alzheimer’s dementia or stroke, cannot find their way around familiar environments. Researchers hope that…
View and ShareImaging technologies have greatly reduced the number of animals needed for research. In the past, animals would have had to be euthanized in order to examine internal organs while today imaging allows visualization and study of what was previously not possible. Here an anesthetized marmoset monkey is being prepared to…
View and ShareThese are common marmosets in the lobby of the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center. Dried fruit, grapes, peanuts and other "pocket treats" are provided by their caretakers. This helps provide enrichment and also facilitates the ability to do health checks and other routine care procedures.
View and ShareThe common marmoset is important in studies for safety, reproductive biology, neuroscience, and drug development. Its small size and many similarities with humans, as well as its differences, make the common marmoset a valued model. In one area of research, multiple sclerosis (MS), an inflammatory disease of the brain caused…
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