Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cognitive problems in dogs with idiopathic epilepsy tested
By Winter, Joshua et al.·Published in The Veterinary record·2018·Royal Vet College, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Preliminary assessment of cognitive impairments in canine idiopathic epilepsy.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with idiopathic epilepsy (IE) showed signs of cognitive impairment, particularly in tasks that tested their spatial working memory. In a study, 17 dogs with IE were compared to 18 healthy dogs, and the dogs with epilepsy performed worse on memory tasks. Owners also reported higher cognitive dysfunction scores for their dogs with epilepsy, although none met the criteria for a formal diagnosis of cognitive dysfunction. This suggests that dogs with IE may struggle with certain cognitive tasks, and further research is needed to understand the full impact of epilepsy on dog cognition and how treatments might help.
People also search for: dog epilepsy cognitive problems · canine cognitive dysfunction symptoms · memory issues in dogs with epilepsy
Abstract
In humans, epilepsy can induce or accelerate cognitive impairment (CI). There is emerging evidence of CI in dogs with idiopathic epilepsy (IE) from recent epidemiological studies. The aim of our study was to assess CI in dogs with IE using two tests of cognitive dysfunction designed for use in a clinical setting. Dogs with IE (n=17) were compared against controls (n=18) in their performance in two tasks; a spatial working memory task and a problem-solving task. In addition, owners completed the Canine Cognitive Dysfunction Rating (CCDR) scale for their dog. The groups did not differ statistically with respect to age and breed. Dogs with IE performed significantly worse than controls on the spatial working memory task (P0.016), but not on the problem solving task (P=0.683). CCDR scores were significantly higher in the IE group (P=0.016); however, no dogs reach the recommended threshold score for CCD diagnosis. Our preliminary data suggest that dogs with IE exhibit impairments in a spatial working memory task. Further research is required to explore the effect of IE on other cognitive abilities in dogs with a larger sample, characterising the age of onset, nature and progression of any impairments and the impact of anti-epileptic drugs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29700175/