Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Neurogenesis in a young dog with epileptic seizures.
- Journal:
- Veterinary pathology
- Year:
- 2012
- Authors:
- Borschensky, C M et al.
- Affiliation:
- Institut fü · Germany
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
This report discusses a 16-week-old German Shepherd puppy that was having seizures. Researchers found that the puppy's brain showed signs of new nerve cell growth in a specific area called the dentate gyrus, which is part of the hippocampus. This growth was accompanied by changes in other brain cells that help support and protect nerve cells. Interestingly, the same signs of new nerve cell growth were not seen in other puppies of the same age that did not have seizures. The study suggests that this increased growth of nerve cells might be a common response in young dogs with epilepsy, but more research is needed to confirm this.
Abstract
Epileptic seizures can lead to various reactions in the brain, ranging from neuronal necrosis and glial cell activation to focal structural disorganization. Furthermore, increased hippocampal neurogenesis has been documented in rodent models of acute convulsions. This is a report of hippocampal neurogenesis in a dog with spontaneous epileptic seizures. A 16-week-old epileptic German Shepherd Dog had marked neuronal cell proliferation (up to 5 mitotic figures per high-power field and increased immunohistochemical expression of proliferative cell nuclear antigen) in the dentate gyrus accompanied by microglial and astroglial activation. Some granule cells expressed doublecortin, a marker of immature neurons; mitotically active cells expressed neuronal nuclear antigen. No mitotic figures were found in the brain of age-matched control dogs. Whether increased neurogenesis represents a general reaction pattern of young epileptic dogs should be investigated.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22194355/