Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Recent advances in diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for canine cognitive dysfunction.
- Journal:
- American journal of veterinary research
- Year:
- 2025
- Authors:
- Kim, Sang Hyun & Hao, Jijun
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Canine cognitive dysfunction (CCD) is a common condition in older dogs that affects their brain, leading to symptoms like confusion, changes in how they interact with people, sleep problems, accidents in the house, decreased activity, and anxiety. Unfortunately, many dogs with CCD go undiagnosed because there isn't a reliable test to identify it, and treatment options are quite limited. This condition shares similarities with Alzheimer's disease in humans, including the buildup of certain proteins in the brain that can harm nerve cells and blood vessels, worsening the dog's cognitive issues. Recent research is exploring these shared features to find better ways to diagnose and treat both dogs and people with these brain disorders. Overall, advancements in understanding CCD could lead to improved care for affected dogs.
Abstract
Canine cognitive dysfunction (CCD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder among geriatric dogs, characterized by disorientation, interaction changes, sleep-wake cycle disturbances, house soiling, activity level changes, and anxiety. Canine cognitive dysfunction is currently underdiagnosed due to the lack of an objective and reliable diagnostic tool, and treatment options are severely limited. Importantly, CCD shares common pathological hallmarks of human Alzheimer disease, such as β-amyloid accumulation, τ protein phosphorylation, neuronal loss, and neuroinflammation. β-Amyloid deposits in Alzheimer disease and CCD appear in 2 main forms: extracellular amyloid plaques, which disrupt synaptic function and contribute to neurotoxicity, and cerebral amyloid angiopathy, where β-amyloid accumulates in the walls of cerebral blood vessels. Cerebral amyloid angiopathy leads to vascular dysfunction, chronic hypoxia, microhemorrhages, and neuroinflammation, further exacerbating cognitive decline. Research into these shared pathologies offers potential therapeutic targets that could benefit both canine and human patients suffering from these neurodegenerative disorders. In this article, we review the latest understanding of CCD pathology and discuss new advancements in diagnostic and therapeutic options as well as the outlook of the CCD disorder.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40300622/