Functional linear modeling of activity data shows analgesic-mediated improved sleep in dogs with spontaneous osteoarthritis pain

Abstract

In humans, pain due to osteoarthritis has been demonstrated to be associated with insomnia and sleep disturbances that affect perception of pain, productivity, and quality of life. Dogs, which develop spontaneous osteoarthritis and represent an increasingly used model for human osteoarthritis, would be expected to show similar sleep disturbances. Further, these sleep disturbances should be mitigated by analgesic therapy. Previous efforts to quantify sleep in osteoarthritic dogs using accelerometry have not demonstrated a beneficial effect of analgesic therapy; this is despite owner-reported improvements in dogs’ sleep quality. However, analytic techniques for time-series accelerometry data have advanced with the development of functional linear modeling. Our aim was to apply functional linear modeling to accelerometry data from osteoarthritic dogs participating in a cross-over non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (meloxicam) drug trial. Significant differences in activity patterns were seen dogs receiving drug (meloxicam) vs. placebo, suggestive of improved nighttime resting (sleep) and increased daytime activity. These results align with owner-reported outcome assessments of sleep quality and further support dogs as an important translational model with benefits for both veterinary and human health.

A functional linear modeling approach to sleep–wake cycles in dogs

“…Knazovicky et al 34 examined nighttime activity of companion dogs with osteoarthritis under blinded treatment and placebo conditions; using an owner questionnaire, they found that chronic pain impacts quality of sleep contributing to sleep disturbance. These subjective findings were subsequently supported by actigraphy 38 . With these few latter exceptions, the findings regarding age-or disease-associated changes in daily sleep patterns in dogs have all been conducted on laboratory-housed dogs.…”

“…The dogs included in this study were considered physically healthy, but were not formally evaluated for conditions that can disrupt sleep, such as chronic pain 34,38 . The SNoRE questionnaire results suggested very little, if any, sleep disturbance, and owners did not report any recent changes in their dogs' sleep; however, this should be considered a limitation of the study.…”

“…Takeuchi and Harada 37 concluded that sleep pattern changes, such as decreased nighttime sleep efficiency, are a result of ageing in laboratory-housed dogs, comparable to humans. It has also been established that sleep and pain hold a bidirectional relationship, in which sleep disturbance may be a result of sleep deficiency enhancing pain or the presence of pain disturbing sleep [31][32][33]38 . Knazovicky et al 34 examined nighttime activity of companion dogs with osteoarthritis under blinded treatment and placebo conditions; using an owner questionnaire, they found that chronic pain impacts quality of sleep contributing to sleep disturbance.…”

Efficacy and Safety of an Anti-nerve Growth Factor Antibody (Frunevetmab) for the Treatment of Degenerative Joint Disease-Associated Chronic Pain in Cats: A Multisite Pilot Field Study

“…Alternatively (or perhaps in combination), total activity may not be the most appropriate outcome measure; the beneficial effects of treatment with frunevetmab may be best characterized by changes in the ability to perform activities, such as jumpingwhich should be reflected in the owner assessments and would not be reflected in changes in activity counts (44). Furthermore, elevations in intensity of activity would not change activity counts, for instance a cat that runs instead of walks or one that climbs and descends the stairs instead of simply walking.…”

Evaluation of acupuncture for the treatment of pain associated with naturally-occurring osteoarthritis in dogs: a prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, blinded clinical trial

“…However, we were unable to detect evidence of change in any of the activity categories in our population during either phase of the study. A recent report on functional linear modeling of activity data in dogs showed improvement in sleep in dogs with OA treated with meloxicam compared to placebo in a cross-over design study [ 30 ]. Their conclusions indicate that functional linear modeling is a more sensitive technique for analyzing activity data in dogs than traditional summary techniques.…”