Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dogs with canine Alzheimer's lose brain noradrenergic neurons
By Insua, Daniel et al.·Published in Neurobiology of aging·2010·Departamento de Ciencias Clí, Spain·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Dogs with canine counterpart of Alzheimer's disease lose noradrenergic neurons.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of small-breed dogs with cognitive impairments, similar to Alzheimer's disease in humans, showed a significant loss of specific brain neurons compared to healthy, aged dogs. The affected dogs had fewer noradrenergic neurons, which are important for brain function, and this loss was linked to the presence of beta-amyloid deposits in their brains. This research suggests that studying these dogs could help find new treatments for cognitive decline in pets.
People also search for: dog Alzheimer's symptoms · small breed dog cognitive decline · treatment for dog dementia
Abstract
Degeneration of noradrenergic neurons in the locus ceruleus is a well-described feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD). In spite of extensive utilization of the dog as a model for human degenerative diseases, there is no data on the response to aging of the noradrenergic system in dogs. We have used modern unbiased stereology to estimate the total number of A6-A7 noradrenergic neurons in normal, aged dogs and dogs with the canine counterpart of AD. In small-breed dogs with no cognitive impairments, the total mean number of tyrosine hydroxylase immunolabeled A6-A7 neurons was 17,228+/-1655, with no differences between young and aged dogs. In contrast, aged dogs with cognitive impairments exhibited a significant reduction in the total number of A6-A7 neurons (13,487+/-1374; P=0.001). Additionally, we found a negative correlation between the number of A6-A7 neurons and the extent of beta-amyloid deposits in the prefrontal cortex. These results suggest that the canine model could be useful in exploring the potential benefits of noradrenergic drugs for the treatment of AD.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18573571/