Cognitive dysfunction syndrome: updated behavioral and clinical evaluations as a tool to evaluate the well-being of aging dogs

Abstract

Cognitive dysfunction syndrome: updated behavioral and clinical evaluations as a tool to evaluate the well-being of aging dogsSíndrome de disfunción cognitiva: actualización del conocimiento como herramienta para el bienestar animal en perros seniles RESUMENLa mejora en la atención veterinaria, la nutrición y el enriquecimiento del entorno doméstico ha facilitado que cada vez haya un mayor número de perros que vivan su etapa senil. Sin embargo, se debe tener en cuenta que una mayor longevidad implica una mayor prevalencia de problemas cognitivos en nuestras mascotas. A lo largo de su vida geriátrica los perros son más vulnerables a padecer síndromes demenciales neurodegenerativos de carácter progresivo. Una de las enfermedades neurodegenerativas que actualmente está siendo objeto de estudio por su elevada prevalencia es el síndrome de disfunción cognitiva. La enfermedad es una entidad neurocomportamental que se presenta en perros ancianos, caracterizado por un déficit en el aprendizaje, en la memoria y en la conciencia espacial del perro, además de ser un trastorno clínico que tiene un impacto significativo en la vida de los perros de edad avanzada y sus propietarios. La escasez de pruebas diagnósticas de alta confiabilidad que garanticen la presencia o no de la enfermedad, otorga a la identificación temprana de los signos clínicos, un papel crucial para el establecimiento de un buen pronóstico en términos de mejoría y extensión en la calidad de vida de los pacientes afectados. El tratamiento debe dirigirse a frenar la progresión de la pérdida de cognición, mediante la instauración de técnicas y programas que mejoren la actividad física, los aspectos nutricionales y el ambiente del animal. Por lo tanto, son necesarias futuras investigaciones en el conocimiento, control y prevención de esta patología, para disminuir el impacto generado por sus efectos sobre la calidad de vida de los perros y sus propietarios.Palabras clave: síndrome de disfunción cognitiva, perros, proteína β-amiloidea. SUMMARYImprovements in veterinary medicine, nutrition and the enrichment of the domestic environment have helped more dogs reach to their senile phase. However, greater longevity leads to a higher prevalence of cognitive problems in our pets. Throughout their geriatric lives, dogs are more vulnerable to suffering progressive neurodegenerative dementia syndromes. Due to its high prevalence, cognitive dysfunction syndrome is one of the most studied neurodegenerative diseases. This disease is a neurobehavioral entity that presents itself in senile dogs, and it is characterized by a deficit in learning, memory and the dog's spatial awareness. It is a clinical disorder that has a significant impact on older dogs and their owners. There is a lack of reliable diagnostic tests that can guarantee the presence of the disease, provide early identification of the clinical signs of this disease, or establish a prognosis in terms of the recovery and expansion of the quality of life of the affected patient. Treatment should be directed at slowi...

Evaluation of cognitive dysfunction syndrome in dogs using an observational questionnaire

“…The first clinical signs, such as disorientation, elimination of excreta in inappropriate places, and decrease of the interaction with the owner appear from the age of seven, becoming more accentuated from the age of 11 (GREER et al, 2007;PÉREZ-GUISADO, 2007). It is important to note that aging leads to a decline in cognitive status and predisposes behavioral changes (LANDSBERG et al, 2008;ARAUJO, 2005).…”

“…The aging of dogs occurs, similarly to the aging of humans, with the development of several cerebral changes that include cortical atrophy, thickening and calcification of the meninges, dilation of the ventricles, enlargement of the grooves and retraction of the convolutions, and glial reactivity (GONZÁLEZ-MARTÍNEZ et al, 2012). The behavioral changes related to CCDS syndrome occur because of neurodegeneration, with the development of senile plaques, which are agglomerates of plaque-forming amyloid beta protein, in several regions of the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and cerebellum (HEAD, 2001;FAST et al, 2013;PINEDA, 2014). Although it is not yet clear how senile plaques influence the cognition of these patients, it is known that this peptide has neurotoxic properties that compromise neuronal function, causing synapse degeneration, neuronal death, and neurotransmitter depression (GONZÁLEZ-MARTÍNEZ et al, 2012).…”

“…The increase in canine life expectancy is the result of a better knowledge of their health, nutritional quality, sanitary control, diagnosis, and effective treatments ARAUJO, 2005). This reality has resulted in the need to diagnose and intervene earlier in diseases related to senility because with the increase of age, the disorders related to cognition become more frequent (PÉREZ-GUISADO, 2007). With the increase of a dog's age, neurobehavioral alterations related to consciousness, perception, memory, and learning begin to occur resulting in a decline in the cognitive and behavioral capacity, known as canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CCDS) (SIWAK, 2002;ARAUJO, 2005;OSELLA et al, 2007;GONZÁLEZ-MARTÍNEZ et al, 2012).…”

“…The presence or absence of CCDS is determined by the sum of the scores obtained from the owner's answers regarding the behavioral changes of a dog (ROFINA et al, 2006;FAST et al, 2013). CCDS, which is similar to Alzheimer's disease that affects humans (PÉREZ-GUISADO, 2007), increasingly urges the research community to conduct more research studies. It is important to develop studies that enable early diagnosis allowing a better quality of life for the elderly dogs and preparing the owner to provide the necessary care for the dog with CCDS.…”

“…It is important to develop studies that enable early diagnosis allowing a better quality of life for the elderly dogs and preparing the owner to provide the necessary care for the dog with CCDS. Since currently, a definitive diagnosis of CCDS is only possible post-mortem, it is extremely important to look for ways to identify the behavioral changes of this syndrome in advance; therefore, a clinical diagnosis can be performed allowing an early and appropriate therapy to reduce the progression of CCDS, because there is no curative therapy so far (PÉREZ-GUISADO, 2007). Therefore, one of the alternatives for the detection and screening of the first cognitive alterations are the observational questionnaires (SCHÜTT et al, 2015).…”