Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cognitive problems in old dogs with Alzheimer-like brain disease
By Rofina, J E et al.·Published in Brain research·2006·Department of Pathobiology, Netherlands·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Cognitive disturbances in old dogs suffering from the canine counterpart of Alzheimer's disease.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of older dogs showed signs of cognitive decline similar to Alzheimer's disease, which included changes in behavior that worried their owners. Researchers found that these behavioral changes were linked to specific brain issues, such as atrophy and oxidative damage. By using questionnaires to assess the dogs' behavior, veterinarians can better identify these cognitive disturbances. While there isn't a specific treatment mentioned, understanding these changes can help owners and vets manage their dogs' conditions more effectively.
People also search for: dog cognitive dysfunction symptoms · old dog behavior changes · canine Alzheimer's treatment
Abstract
In geriatric dogs, Alzheimer-like behavior is frequently observed. This behavior has been classified by several authors using questionnaires and a correlation has been described between cognitive dysfunctions and Alzheimer-like pathology. In the present study, cognitive performance was correlated with brain pathology for 30 dogs of varying ages. Within these animals, two age-matched groups of old dogs with and without behavioral changes were compared. The behavioral changes were analyzed and scored with questionnaires and necropsy was performed to rule out any other cause for changed behavior. Measurements, (immuno)-histochemical staining and fluorescence microscopy were used to detect cortex atrophy, amyloid, rest-products of oxidative damage, demyelination and accumulations of macrophages in the brains of these dogs. Spearman rank correlation coefficients (r) were calculated and adjusted according to Bonferonni. In the whole group (young to very old dogs), the age of the animal showed a significant correlation with various behavioral changes (r = 0.7 to 0.9, P < 0.01). The dementia score correlated significantly (r = 0.6 to 0.8, P < 0.01) with all the brain lesions studied, except one, i.e. demyelination (r = -0.4, P > 0.05). These results suggest that a questionnaire can be used to diagnose Alzheimer-like changes in canine practice. Oxidative damage on a cellular and a nuclear level plays an important role in behavior changes.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16423332/