Age-related changes in the central nervous system in selected domestic mammals and primates.

Aging is a process which operates at many levels of physiological, genetic and molecular organization and leads inevitably to death. Brain macroscopic changes by MRI investigation during aging were observed in humans and dogs but chimpanzees did not display significant changes. This suggestion led to the statement that brain aging is different in various species. Although human brain changes, e.g. β-amyloid storage, neurofibrillary tangle formation, lipofuscin, are relatively well known, we are still looking for a suitable animal model to study the mechanisms of aging and neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, this paper presents a comparative analysis of the changes described in the brains of senile dog, horse and gorilla. In addition we present the latest, non-invasive methods that can be applied in the diagnosis of old age in mammals. Our considerations have shown that the best animal model for further studies and observations on aging is the dog.