Scientists say an oral vaccine for Alzheimer's disease works in mice. How do we know mice get Alzheimer's?

According to Japanese scientists, there is now an Alzheimer's vaccine that works on mice. http://health.yahoo.com/news/173545 .

Yes, it would be nice to know that the vaccine works, and I certainly do hope it will work on humans, but I save that for another discussion. What I want to know is this: How do we know that mice get Alzheimer's disease?

Have we actually ever interviewed a mouse? Observed a mouse as he forgets where he left his car or what his house key is for? Have we interviewed his family to get some behavioral history? Maybe stress or another type of dementia is causing his strange behavior?

Please, someone, tell me. How do we know that mice get Alzheimer's?

mice have a finite lifespan and the amyloid plaques seen in Alzheimers may be reporduced in a type of mice. Use of the vaccine may possibly inhibit the amyloid plaque formation. The mice can be tested for cognition with tasks like a maze to look for food. If their memory is good they will learn to find the food easily. If the memory is poor then they will take a long time to find the food. Their brains can also be objectively counted on postmortem slides. This is exciting treatment for Alzheimer's (buy stocks in that company!)

When they loose there way aroubnd their habitat, i guess that is considered "Old Timers Disease"

Alzhiemers creates very specific and measurable damage to the areas of the brain that store memory and personality. This damage can be found in virtually all mammals. This lets us be able to study the disease in species other than humans. Since the mice that were vaccinated never showed the effects of the disease, it is assumed that the vaccine is successful.