Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Blood test for early diagnosis of canine cognitive dysfunction
By Wu, Chung-Hsin et al.·Published in International journal of molecular sciences·2023·School of Life Science·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Plasma Neurofilament Light Chains as Blood-Based Biomarkers for Early Diagnosis of Canine Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of elderly dogs was tested for signs of canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CCDS), which is similar to Alzheimer's disease in humans. Researchers found that dogs with CCDS had higher levels of a specific protein (neurofilament light chains) in their blood compared to healthy dogs. This suggests that measuring these protein levels could help veterinarians diagnose CCDS earlier. Additionally, the study noted that dogs with CCDS also showed signs of liver and kidney issues. This new blood test could be a useful tool for vets in identifying cognitive problems in older dogs.
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Abstract
The number of elderly dogs is increasing significantly worldwide, and many elderly dogs develop canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CCDS). CCDS is the canine analog of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in humans. It is very important to develop techniques for detecting CDDS in dogs. Thus, we used the detection of neurofilament light chains (NfL) in plasma as a blood-based biomarker for the early diagnosis of canine Alzheimer's disease using immunomagnetic reduction (IMR) technology by immobilizing NfL antibodies on magnetic nanoparticles. According to the 50-point CCDS rating scale, we divided 36 dogs into 15 with CCDS and 21 without the disease. The results of our IMR assay showed that the plasma NfL levels of dogs with CCDS were significantly increased compared to normal dogs (< 0.01). By plasma biochemical analysis, we further confirmed that the liver and renal dysfunction biomarkers of dogs with CCDS were significantly elevated compared to normal dogs (< 0.01-0.05). On the basis of our preliminary study, we propose that IMR technology could be an ideal biosensor for detecting plasma NfL for the early diagnosis of CCDS.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37762074/