It may be that dogs develop AD without brain deposits. --Jerry 11/07/98
UCI's Institute for Brain Aging and Dementia November 1998

It's said that old dogs can't learn new tricks, but they may show humans a thing or two about Alzheimer's disease. At UCI's Institute for Brain Aging and Dementia, Dr. Brian Cummings, research professor, and Dr. Elizabeth Head, postdoctoral researcher, are studying a group of old dogs that don't develop the advanced stages of plaques and tangles in their brains that are seen in severe cases of human Alzheimer's.

One reason may lie in how differently canine and human immune systems respond to the growth of Alzheimer's plaques in the brain. "Human immune systems appear to overreact to plaques, while dog immune systems don't. By studying this group of aging dogs that don't get the advanced disease, we may find ways to slow down the progression of Alzheimer's in humans," Head explained.