When 10 dolphins died off the coast of Florida, their brains were sent to a research institute in Jackson, Wyoming, for study.
What could that accomplish? A cure for Alzheimer's disease, potentially.
Researchers at Brain Chemistry Labs, a state-of-the-art biology laboratory in Jackson, contributed to a new study published in Nature Communications Biology.
The study found a link between Alzheimer's disease, cyanobacterial blooms, and the brains of dolphins. Basically, colonies of blue-green algae full of toxins.
"These dolphins show all the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease," said Paul Alan Cox, executive director of Brain Chemistry Labs and one of the contributing authors. "I think the data are pretty persuasive that we've got an Alzheimer's-type disease, caused by cyanobacterial toxins, that has led to cognitive loss in these animals."
Dissecting dolphin brains might sound frivolous, but it's anything but.
Cox said these invaluable insights could lead to treatments that could stop the scourge of several neurodegenerative diseases.
"Once you know what causes it, you can try to look for a cure," he said.
Best Brains
After 20 dolphins beached themselves and died on the eastern coast of Florida, scientists removed their brains to see if they could determine why they did that.
Among those scientists were the brilliant minds Cox has assembled in Jackson, although getting the dolphin brains to Jackson was somewhat more difficult than the human brains needed to study them.
"It turns out you need a lot of permits to be able to study marine mammals, even if they're dead," Cox said.
Cox has been working with scientists at SeaWorld and the Department of Neurology at the University of Miami for several years.
You'd think Florida would be at the forefront of this type of research, but Cox said Brain Chemistry Labs brings something unique to the critical research.
"Our lab has been a pioneer in looking at neurotoxins that trigger Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and ALS," he said. "I've searched for the brightest minds I can find to come to Jackson and find new ways of diagnosing and treating these serious brain diseases."
Cox founded Brain Chemistry Labs as a nonprofit consortium of the world's top minds in several fields. The group includes 50 scientists from 28 universities across 12 countries and has received several notable accolades.
"I've got chemists, physiologists, neurologists, and some of the world's very finest minds," he said. "Our consortium consistently interacts with each other, and we bring them together for a week every year to continue this world-breaking research."
Brains And Blooms
Dolphin brains are distinctly different from human brains, but the tissue damage caused by neurodegenerative diseases looks the same in all brains.
Cox said that when the dolphin brains were examined under a microscope, they had "all the hallmarks" of a disease like Alzheimer's.
"They had all the neuropathology that you would find in an Alzheimer's patient," he said.
Cox said the critical takeaway from the latest research is the connection between cyanobacterial blooms and the Alzheimer's-like neurodegenerative disease afflicting dolphins.
"The animals are living in polluted lakes and estuaries next to major metropolitan areas," he said. "There's a lot of sewage and agricultural runoff in those areas, which leads to these harmful cyanobacterial blooms. They call it 'guacamole' down there because it's so viscous."
All the beached dolphins were living in marine environments adjacent to major cities on the eastern coast of Florida.
When they were exposed to cyanobacterial blooms in this area, their brains were slowly damaged by the neurotoxins.
"Our hypothesis is that these animals became disoriented, and that's why they beached themselves," Cox said. "We have some unpublished research on animals that were hit (and killed) in the open ocean by boats, and they don't have any of this pathology.
"This study shows a real connection between polluted water and Alzheimer's disease, or something very close to it."
Cox said many scientists are consistently amazed and alarmed by the similarities between the damaged brain tissue in these dolphins and humans with Alzheimer's.
On a microscopic level, they're virtually indistinguishable.
"Any neurologist would look at that neuropathology and say that's a human Alzheimer's patient, but it's a dolphin," he said. "I think this is a warning."
On Our Minds
The impact of cyanobacterial neurotoxins on the brains of dolphins has important and potentially life-saving implications for humans.
Cox noted that marine mammals aren't that dissimilar from people.
"We think these dolphins are like canaries that they used to put down in mines," he said. "The nervous systems of dolphins and whales are very similar to ours. That's why we're concerned."
Cox said Miami-Dade County had the highest incidence of Alzheimer's disease in the United States. Research suggests that the damaged brain tissue of beached dolphins found offshore isn't a coincidence.
"We think these cyanobacterial toxins are causing Alzheimer's, and they're moving past tens of thousands of Floridians," he said. "Our research found that these toxins can be aerosolized.
"You don't even have to drink, swim in, or eat fish out of these polluted waters. We require more proof, but the case seems to be building."
That would have a direct impact on the health of Wyomingites.
Cyanobacterial blooms frequently appear in Wyoming's lakes and reservoirs, potentially spreading aerosolized neurotoxins and damaging the brain tissue of nearby animals and people.
The proof that Cox referenced would be behavioral evidence of cognitive decline in dolphins that's similar to humans with Alzheimer's.
Nevertheless, he's adamant that the connection between environmental and human health cannot be ignored, in large part because of what's been learned from these dolphin brains.
"I'm really thrilled that there's been a strong bipartisan movement to clean the water in Florida," he said. "I don't think I can overstate the importance of having clean water and air to maintain our brain health."
Cause And Cure
The concept of aerosolized cyanobacterial neurotoxins causing Alzheimer's is alarming, which is why Cox said he's so proud of what his team and Brain Chemistry Labs have accomplished.
"People are surprised that we're doing dolphin research in Wyoming," he said. "It's exciting, because we're making a lot of progress."
Cox said researchers in his consortium are currently in "an advanced FDA Phase Two trial" for treatment of a pre-Alzheimer's condition called mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
Research at Brain Chemistry Labs identified a specific amino acid that could slow or even stop MCI.
"We know it's safe from our previous clinical trials, but we want to find out if it's efficacious for people," he said. "If it works, it would be a very cost-effective treatment compared to some of the current Alzheimer's drugs that don't work very well with serious side effects.
"Those are $26,000 per year. This thing would probably cost $35 per patient per month."
Cox cited Jackson as an essential element to the success of Brain Chemistry Labs. He said his small, unassuming lab in the Teton Valley is "an inspiring place" for his scientists.
"My dad was a ranger in Grand Teton National Park, and I think that might have helped me stand out when I got admitted for my Ph.D. at Harvard," he said. "The laws of chemistry and physics function in Wyoming just as well as they do in Princeton, New Jersey, or the University of California, Berkeley.
"It's been a real thrill for me to come back to Jackson and to get the smartest people I can find on planet Earth to come help me solve these problems."
Studying dolphin brains has been a critical piece of the puzzle that could lead to better treatments and even a cure for the world's worst neurodegenerative diseases.
And Jackson is at the forefront of that life-changing work.
"We have a state-of-the-art laboratory, but it's situated in a cabin with a carved bear wearing goggles out front," Cox said. "We might be the best-kept secret in Jackson, but there are a lot of little labs out here that are really pushing the frontiers of science. It's pretty amazing."
The studies of dolphin brains and what they can tell us about human brains are ongoing, and the implications could make a world of difference.
There's a lot of uncertainty, but Cox said there's one definite fact that Wyomingites should find reassuring.
"You'll be pleased to know, and hopefully comforted, that we've not found any dolphins in Wyoming that have Alzheimer's disease," he said.
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
