PRIMATE SCIENCE RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT
May 18, 1999
"Nerve cell linked to Alzheimer's Disease discovered"
(Courtesy Dr. Joe Erwin, Bioqual, Inc., and Foundation for Comparative and
Conservation Biology)

A neuron linked to Alzheimer's Disease has been found to exist only in
humans and great apes out of 28 primate species specimens examined recently
by researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and collaborating
scientists at the California Institute of Technology, and Bioqual, Inc.

The researchers discovered that an unusual, spindle-shaped cell exists in
the anterior cingulate cortex of only humans, chimpanzees, bonobos,
gorillas, and orangutans. In human Alzheimer's cases, the abundance of this
type of neuron is diminished by about 60 percent.

CNS tissue from the 28 species revealed that this type of neuron was not
found in gibbons, old-world monkeys, new-world monkeys, or prosimians, and
it has not been found in any nonprimate. Thus, these vulnerable cells
appear to be of relatively recent origin, an April 26 press release from
Diagnon stated. "The area of the brain where they are located appears to be
involved in several kinds of thinking, including self awareness. Self
awareness often becomes impaired in human Alzheimer's patients," the
release stated.

Self-awareness has been documented in great apes, but not in gibbons or
monkeys. While much on brain aging can be learned from studying mice and
monkeys, great apes studies may play a critical role in understanding the
causes of Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative disorders.

Most of the CNS tissue specimens of great apes examined were provided by
the Great Ape Aging Project: A Comparative Neurobiology of Aging Resource
supported by USPHS/NIH grant AG14308 from the National Institute on Aging
to Bioqual, Inc., Joseph Erwin, principal investigator. The Great Ape Aging
Project operates a CNS tissue repository intended to amplify knowledge of
normal brain aging and age-related neuropathology in the great apes through
acquisition of specimens on loan from research facilities, zoological
gardens, and retirement sanctuaries.

For more information please contact: Joseph Erwin (Joemerwin@aol.com) or
Patrick Hof (hof@neuro.mssm.edu).

###

Reference:

Nimchinsky, E., E. Gilissen, J. Allman, D. Perl, J. Erwin, and P. Hof.
1999. A neuronal morphologic type unique to humans and great apes.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). April 27, 1999.
(Communicated to the Academy by Nobel Laureate Francis Crick.)


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P-T Research Highlights appears every other week and focuses
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