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ABSTRACT Alzheimer's disease (AD) and its associated pathology have been primarily identified in humans, who have relatively large brains and long lifespans. To expand what is known about aging and neurodegeneration across mammalian species, we characterized amyloid‐beta (Aβ) and tau lesions in five species of aged felids (n= 9; cheetah, clouded leopard, African lion, serval, Siberian tiger). We performed immunohistochemistry to detect Aβ40 and Aβ42 in plaques and vessels and hyperphosphorylated tau in the temporal lobe gyrus sylvius and in the CA1 and CA3 subfields of the hippocampus. We also quantified the densities and morphological types of microglia expressing IBA1. We found that diffuse Aβ42 plaques, but not dense‐core plaques, were present more frequently in the temporal cortex and tended to be more common than Aβ40 plaques across species. Conversely, vascular Aβ was labeled more consistently with Aβ40 for each species on average. Although all individuals showed some degree of Aβ40 and/or Aβ42 immunoreactivity, only the cheetahs and clouded leopards exhibited intraneuronal hyperphosphorylated tau (i.e., pretangles), which was more common in the hippocampus. Reactive, intermediate microglia were significantly associated with total Aβ40 vessel area and pretangle load in the hippocampus. This study demonstrates the co‐occurrence of Aβ and tau pathology in two felid species, cheetahs and clouded leopards. Overall, these results provide an initial view of the manifestation of Aβ and tau pathology in aged, large‐brained felids, which can be compared with markers of neurodegeneration across different taxa, including domestic cats, nonhuman primates, and humans. 

Abstract Astrocytes are the main homeostatic cell of the brain involved in many processes related to cognition, immune response, and energy expenditure. It has been suggested that the distribution of astrocytes is associated with brain size, and that they are specialized in humans. To evaluate these, we quantified astrocyte density, soma volume, and total glia density in layer I and white matter in Brodmann's area 9 of humans, chimpanzees, baboons, and macaques. We found that layer I astrocyte density, soma volume, and ratio of astrocytes to total glia cells were highest in humans and increased with brain size. Overall glia density in layer I and white matter were relatively invariant across brain sizes, potentially due to their important metabolic functions on a per volume basis. We also quantified two transporters involved in metabolism through the astrocyte‐neuron lactate shuttle, excitatory amino acid transporter 2 (EAAT2) and glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1). We expected these transporters would be increased in human brains due to their high rate of metabolic consumption and associated gene activity. While humans have higher EAAT2 cell density, GLUT1 vessel volume, and GLUT1 area fraction compared to baboons and chimpanzees, they did not differ from macaques. Therefore, EAAT2 and GLUT1 are not related to increased energetic demands of the human brain. Taken together, these data provide evidence that astrocytes play a unique role in both brain expansion and evolution among primates, with an emphasis on layer I astrocytes having a potentially significant role in human‐specific metabolic processing and cognition.