THE PROJECT

What I researched.

While working with the RNG, I was specifically designated to assist Ajantha (AJ) Abey, an honors student, on his research. AJ’s project looked into the neuropathologies of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Unlike most AD research done in the past, he chose to use the canine brain model opposed to the popular rodent brain model which translates poorly to humans. Rodents have such short lifespans that the AD neuropathologies must be implemented in order to conduct research on them, thus compromising their fidelity. However, dogs actually get Cognitive Canine Dysfunction (CCD), which mirrors the symptoms of human AD.

Hallmarks of human AD include amyloid-beta plaques, tauopathy, and iron deposits. While CCD dogs have been found to have amyloid-beta plaques, tauopathy and iron deposits have never been a focus in CCD research. As a result, AJ decided to characterize these neuropathologies in the CCD brain. He used histochemical staining in order to detect and view the neuropathologies. I was taught how to do all the steps to accomplish results.

By looking at CCD dog brains, AJ hopes to establish that the canine model better translates to human AD than the rodent model. If it does, then new therapies could be explored in hopes of treating and curing Alzheimer’s disease.

​

(Image on left: Neurons in the pons region of a CCD brain. The brown staining indicates iron and, therefore, neurodegeneration.)