Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Glutamate and GABA levels in dogs with epilepsy and limbic MRI changes
By Creevy, Kate E et al.·Published in American journal of veterinary research·2013·Department of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Comparison of concentrations of γ-aminobutyric acid and glutamate in cerebrospinal fluid of dogs with idiopathic epilepsy with and without seizure-related magnetic resonance imaging hyperintense areas in the limbic system.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with idiopathic epilepsy (IE) was studied to see if there were differences in brain fluid chemicals related to their seizures. The researchers looked at 8 dogs with IE that had normal MRI results and 4 dogs with IE that showed abnormal areas on MRI. They found that both groups of dogs with epilepsy had higher levels of glutamate, a chemical that can increase brain activity, compared to healthy dogs. However, there was no significant difference in glutamate levels between the two groups of epileptic dogs. The study suggests that while glutamate is higher in dogs with epilepsy, more research is needed to understand its role in seizures.
People also search for: dog epilepsy treatment · why does my dog have seizures · MRI for dog seizures · glutamate levels in dogs with epilepsy
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To investigate differences in CSF concentrations of excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters in dogs with and without T2-weighted (T2W) MRI hyperintense areas in the limbic system. SAMPLE: Archived CSF samples and stored brain MRI images of 5 healthy research dogs (group 1), 8 dogs with idiopathic epilepsy (IE) with no abnormal MRI findings (group 2), and 4 dogs with IE with hyperintense areas in the limbic system detected by means of T2W MRI (group 3). PROCEDURES: Archived CSF samples and stored MRI images obtained from all dogs were evaluated. Dogs in groups 2 and 3 were matched on the basis of age and breed. High-performance liquid chromatography was used to evaluate glutamate and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) concentrations in CSF samples. RESULTS: Glutamate concentrations were higher in CSF of both groups of dogs with IE than in healthy dogs. However, glutamate concentrations in CSF were not significantly higher in dogs with IE and with hyperintense areas than in dogs with IE but no abnormal MRI findings. Concentrations of GABA in CSF were higher in group 3 than in group 2 and in group 2 than in group 1. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: No significant difference was evident between glutamate concentrations in CSF of dogs with IE and with and without hyperintense areas detected by means of T2W MRI. However, glutamate concentrations typically were higher in CSF of dogs with IE and MRI hyperintense areas. Future studies with larger sample sizes should be conducted to confirm this finding and to determine the clinical importance of high glutamate concentrations in CSF of dogs with IE.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23879850/