Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Inherited brain malformations causing neurologic signs in Toyger cats
By Keating, M K et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2016·William R. Prichard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Characterization of an Inherited Neurologic Syndrome in Toyger Cats with Forebrain Commissural Malformations, Ventriculomegaly and Interhemispheric Cysts.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of Toyger cats with neurological issues was studied to understand their brain problems, which included enlarged brain ventricles and cysts. Thirteen of the cats showed signs like coordination difficulties and other neurological symptoms, while seven were healthy carriers. MRI scans revealed structural brain abnormalities in the affected cats, confirming that these issues were inherited. The study found that MRI was very effective in detecting these brain cysts and malformations. Understanding these conditions can help veterinarians provide better care for affected cats.
People also search for: Toyger cat neurological problems · cat brain cysts symptoms · inherited brain defects in cats
Abstract
BACKGROUND: In children, frequent congenital malformations with concomitant agenesis of the corpus callosum are diagnosed by neuroimaging in association with other cerebral malformations, including interhemispheric cysts and ventriculomegaly. Similar studies providing full characterization of brain defects by in vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and correlations with the pertinent anatomic pathologic examinations are absent in veterinary medicine. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: Congenital brain defects underlie the neurologic signs observed in Toyger cats selectively bred for a short ear phenotype. ANIMALS: Using proper pedigree analysis and genetic evaluations, 20 related Oriental-derived crossbred Toyger cats were evaluated. Seven clinically healthy (carrier) cats and 13 clinically affected cats that had neurologic signs, short ear phenotype and concomitant complex brain anomalies were studied. METHODS: Complete physical and neurologic examinations and MRI were performed in all clinically healthy and affected cats. Postmortem and histopathologic examinations were performed in 8 affected cats and 5 healthy cats. RESULTS: Neurologic and MRI investigations confirmed 13 clinically affected cats with structural brain abnormalities. Ventriculomegaly with frequent concomitant supratentorial interhemispheric, communicating ventricular type-1b cysts and multiple midline and callosal malformations were detected in all cats displaying neurologic signs. Genetic analysis confirmed autosomal recessive mode of inheritance with no chromosomal abnormalities. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Neuroanatomic dissections and histopathology were helpful for evaluation of abnormalities in midline brain structures, and for the full characterization of cysts. However, MRI was more sensitive for detection of small cysts. In this feline model, MRI diagnosis had extremely good correlation with pathologic abnormalities noted in the subset of animals that were examined by both modalities.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26846816/