By Alexandra Thompson Senior Health Reporter For Mailonline
Published: 15:08 GMT, 7 February 2019 | Updated: 23:59 GMT, 7 February 2019
10 shares
3
View
comments
While many see hamsters as just a popular pet, the furry creatures may actually help scientists understand what causes Alzheimer's disease.
A study found when the rodents hibernate, their brains undergo structural changes that help their neurons survive even during low temperatures.
Any protein clumps - a hallmark of Alzheimer's - are also fully and rapidly reversed when the animals wake up.
The researchers hope further studies will help uncover what happens in the brains of hamsters to protect their brain networks.
The Syrian hamster may help scientists understand Alzheimer's, research suggests (stock)
The research was carried out by CEU San Pablo University in Madrid and led by PhD student Carolina Gonzalez-Riano, from the department of pharmacy.
Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia and affects more than 520,000 people in the UK, according to the Alzheimer's Society.
The disease has around 5.7million sufferers in the US, Alzheimer's Association statistics show.
The researchers chose to analyse the Syrian hamster species Mesocricetus auratus due to it hibernating for just three-to-four days at a time when exposed to the cold or darkness.
When the rodents were examined before, during and after hibernation,
