Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Brain cell damage in dogs with congenital portosystemic shunts
By Williams, Alun et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary science·2020·Department of Veterinary Medicine, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Astrocyte lesions in cerebral cortex and cerebellum of dogs with congenital ortosystemic shunting.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of eight dogs with congenital portosystemic shunt (cPSS) were studied to understand how this condition affects their brains. Many of these dogs showed significant changes in brain cells, particularly in the cerebral cortex, which could explain some of the neurological symptoms they experience, like confusion or disorientation. These findings suggest that dogs with cPSS can develop similar brain changes as humans with hepatic encephalopathy (HE), a serious condition that can cause severe health issues. Understanding these changes can help veterinarians better manage the health of dogs with cPSS.
People also search for: dog congenital portosystemic shunt symptoms · dog hepatic encephalopathy treatment · dog brain changes cPSS
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Congenital portosystemic shunt (cPSS) is one of the most common congenital disorders diagnosed in dogs. Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a frequent complication in dogs with a cPSS and is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Despite HE been a major cause of morbidity in dogs with a cPSS, little is known about the cellular changes that occur in the central nervous system of dogs with a cPSS. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to characterise the histological changes in the cerebral cortex and cerebellum of dogs with cPSS with particular emphasis on astrocyte morphology. METHODS: Eight dogs with a confirmed cPSS were included in the study. RESULTS: Six dogs had substantial numbers of Alzheimer type II astrocytes and all cases had increased immunoreactivity for glial fibrillary acidic protein in the cerebral cortex, even if there were minimal other morphological changes. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that dogs with a cPSS have marked cellular changes in the cerebral cortex and cerebellum. The cellular changes that occur in the cerebral cortex and cerebellum of dogs with spontaneously arising HE are similar to changes which occur in humans with HE, further validating dogs with a cPSS as a good model for human HE.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32476318/