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Chapter 22 Canine cognitive dysfunction as a model for human age-related cognitive decline, dementia and Alzheimer's disease: clinical presentation, cognitive testing, pathology and response to 1-deprenyl therapy

Year: 1995

Type: book-chapter

Abstract: This chapter explores the potential of the canine as a model of human age-related cognitive decline (ARCD), dementia, and Alzheimer's disease (AD). It also discuss a number of studies that indicate that some people with dementia and dogs with cognitive dysfunction respond to therapy with the monoamine oxidase inhibitor, 1-deprenyl (selegiline HCl). Results indicate that elderly pet dogs exhibit multiple behavioral or cognitive problems indicative of cognitive dysfunction, which in some canine patients are sufficiently severe to disrupt the dog's function as an adequate pet. In some affected pet dogs, the change in behavior was found to be due to the presence of systemic, non-neurological disease; however, in numerous cases, no such general medical condition was identified, suggesting that the behavioral or cognitive dysfunction may be due to brain pathology. Studies indicate that some cognitive deficits, but not others, are correlated with age and with amyloid accumulation. Screening tests might be developed to predict amyloid accumulation and/or response to therapy in pet dogs. If so, this information might be extrapolated to cognitively impaired people. The dogs in the study presented in the chapter responded quite favorably to once-daily therapy with 0.5 mg/kg 1-deprenyl. Similarly, human patients with dementia of the Alzheimer's type have responded to 1-deprenyl therapy.

Source: Progress in brain research

DOI: 10.1016/s0079-6123(08)61218-2