BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — A new study published in Nature Communications Biology has found that dolphins living in Florida’s Indian River Lagoon show brain changes similar to those seen in humans with Alzheimer’s disease, and scientists say environmental toxins may be to blame.
Researchers from Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute, the University of Miami, Brain Chemistry Labs and the Blue World Research Institute discovered high concentrations of a harmful algal bloom toxin in the brain tissue of stranded dolphins.
Megan Stolen, senior scientist with the Blue World Research Institute, said “What the team found were changes in the brain that looked very similar to what brain biologists see in humans who have Alzheimer’s disease.”
Stolen said the team suspects dolphins are exposed through their food chain.
“Dolphins eat a lot of fish, pounds and pounds every day, so in much higher concentrations than, say, humans eat, even if we fished every day and ate out of the lagoon,“ said Stolen.
Researchers say the work will likely continue, expanding to other regions and species to determine how widespread these neurotoxic effects may be. The research was supported by funding from the Discover Florida Oceans license plate program, Brevard County Tourism Development Council, the Herbert W. Hoover Foundation and the SeaWorld Busch Gardens Conservation Fund.
For more information, visit hswri.org.
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