Abstract <p>Global aging of the population and an increase in the number of neurodegenerative diseases (such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases) become a serious challenge to healthcare systems in developing countries. Due to a high degree of similarity to human in the brain structure, genetics, and cognitive functions, non-human primates are considered as the most relevant natural model for studying age-related neurodegeneration. The authors of this study analyzed the brain samples from 21 individuals (aged 20–34 years) of primates of different species. During macroscopic examination, occipital lobe atrophy and ventriculomegaly were detected. Histologically, all animals demonstrated typical traits of aging: sclerosis and hyalinosis of blood vessels, a decrease in neuronal density in the cortex, leukoaraiosis, vacuolar degeneration, and accumulation of lipofuscin (“aging pigment”). These changes correspond to pathological manifestations observed in aging and neurodegenerative diseases in human. Thus, aged primates represent a valuable biological resource for the study of the pathogenesis of spontaneous neurodegeneration and development of therapeutic approaches with a high prognostic significance for clinical medicine. The study is the first in Russia devoted to a systematic description of age-related changes of the brain in primates and opens up opportunities for the creation of translational models of neurodegenerative diseases on the basis of natural aging.</p>