Preliminary assessment of cognitive impairments in canine idiopathic epilepsy

Winter, Joshua; Packer, Rowena M. A.; Volk, Holger A.

doi:10.1136/vr.104603

Cited by 29 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Over one fifth (6/27; 22.2%) of dogs with IE that completed the training phase did not meet learning criterion compared to just 1/23 (4.3%) of controls. This may reflect the cognitive impairments recently identified in dogs with IE [14][15][16] , particularly in spatial working memory 16 . In contrast, in a recent study of 125 dogs trained on the same spatial discrimination, only one dog (0.8%) did not reach the same learning criterion after completing the training phase 56 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

“…In addition to seizure activity, therapeutic attempts to reduce their frequency and/or severity may further impair QOL due to common aversive side-effects of anti-seizure drugs (ASDs); indeed, the side effects ataxia and lethargy are associated with a reduced owner-reported QOL 13 . IE is also associated with negative perturbations in behaviour and cognition, including decreased trainability 14 , signs of cognitive impairment 15,16 , increased attention seeking 17 , aggression 18 and ADHD-like behaviours e.g. behaviours associated with high excitement and/or poor impulse control 19,20 .…”

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confidence: 99%

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Impact of canine epilepsy on judgement and attention biases

Hobbs

Law

Volk

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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Idiopathic epilepsy (IE) is the most common chronic neurological condition in dogs, characterised by recurrent seizure activity and associated with negative behavioural and cognitive changes. We hypothesised that IE would negatively impact putative affective state, with dogs with IE exhibiting a more pessimistic judgement bias and more negative attention bias than controls. Dogs were tested in a previously-validated spatial judgement bias task, and a novel auditory attention bias task testing attention to sounds with different valence or salience (neutral, novel pre-habituated, threatening). Sixty-eight dogs (IE = 33, Control = 35) were tested, of which n = 37 acquired the spatial discrimination and responses to judgement bias probes were tested (IE = 19, Control = 18), and n = 36 were tested for responses to sounds (IE = 20, Control = 16). Study groups did not significantly differ by age, sex, breed or neuter-status (p > 0.05). Main effects of study group were not significant in judgement bias (F1,102 = 0.20, p = 0.658) or attention bias tasks (F3,102 = 1.64, p = 0.184). In contrast with our hypotheses, there was no evidence that IE altered cognitive biases in this study population; however, dogs with IE were significantly more likely to be unable to learn the spatial discrimination task (p = 0.019), which may reflect IE-related cognitive deficits. Developing methods to test affective state without excluding cognitively impaired individuals is a future challenge for animal welfare science.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

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confidence: 99%

Impact of canine epilepsy on judgement and attention biases

Hobbs

Law

Volk

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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“…Around one‐third of dogs continue to seizure despite appropriately managed polypharmacotherapy 8‐10 . In addition, behavioral and cognitive comorbidities occur in dogs with epilepsy, 11 such as anxiety 12,13 deficits in spatial memory, 14 or cognitive function 15,16 . Seizures, drug‐related adverse effects along with changes to behavior and cognitive capabilities all contribute to the reduction in quality of life (QoL) for both dogs and their owners 17‐21 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A multicenter randomized controlled trial of medium‐chain triglyceride dietary supplementation on epilepsy in dogs

Berk

Law

Packer

et al. 2020

Veterinary Internal Medicne

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Background: Medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) enriched diet has a positive effect on seizure control and behavior in some dogs with idiopathic epilepsy (IE).Objective: To evaluate the short-term efficacy of MCTs administered as an add-on dietary supplement (DS) to a variable base diet to assess seizure control and antiseizure drug's (ASD) adverse effect profiles.Animals: Twenty-eight dogs with International Veterinary Epilepsy Task Force Tier II (IVETF) level diagnosis of treated IE with 3 or more seizures in the last 3 months were used.Methods: A 6-month multicenter, prospective, randomized, double-blinded, placebocontrolled crossover trial was completed, comparing an MCT-DS with a control-DS.A 9% metabolic energy-based amount of MCT or control oil was supplemented to the dogs' diet for 3 months, followed by a control oil or MCT for another 3 months, respectively. Dogs enrolled in this study satisfied most requirements of IE diagnosis stated by the IVETF II level. If they received an oil DS or drugs that could influence the metabolism of the investigated DS or chronic ASD, the chronic ASD medication was adjusted, or other causes of epilepsy were found, the dogs were excluded from the study.Abbreviations: ASD, antiseizure drug; BHB, beta hydroxybutyric acid; C10, decanoic acid = capric acid; C8, octanoic acid = caprylic acid; DS, dietary supplement; IE, idiopathic epilepsy; ITTA, intention to treat analysis; IVETF II, International Veterinary Epilepsy Task Force Tier II; KBr, potassium bromide; LEV, levetiracetam; MBW, metabolic body weight; MCT, medium-chain triacylglyceride; ME, metabolic energy; PB, phenobarbital; QoL, quality of life; RER, resting energy requirement; RVC, Royal Veterinary College; VAS, visual analog score.

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“…Similarly, Shihab and colleagues showed that dogs with epilepsy have a higher risk of displaying fear/anxiety-type behaviors and defensive aggression and show abnormal perception (that includes barking without apparent cause, chasing shadows or lights, aimless pacing, and staring into space). Other studies also have established a relationship between idiopathic epilepsy and cognitive impairment in dogs [71,72]. Interestingly, this relationship seems to be bi-directional.…”

Section: Abnormalities In Laboratory or Imaging Work-up Examplesmentioning

confidence: 80%

A Review of Medical Conditions and Behavioral Problems in Dogs and Cats

Camps¹,

Amat

Manteca

2019

Animals

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Simple Summary: Behavioral problems and medical conditions have been treated separately for years. However, behavior depends directly on an animal's health condition, and vice versa. Some behavioral problems are caused totally or partially by a medical condition. Additionally, some of these problems represent a diagnostic challenge for veterinarians because, in many cases, apart from behavioral changes, there are no other clinical signs or evidence of illness. Improving our knowledge of the most common medical problems that can modify behavior may help veterinarians to improve their diagnostic protocols and treatments. Based on our experience, most relevant medical conditions are some neurological problems, endocrine or metabolic problems, and pain-related conditions. Thus, the aims of this review are to describe the state of the art of the relationship between these medical conditions (among others) and behavioral problems, and proposing new lines of investigation.Abstract: Not all animals behave identically when faced with the same situation. These individual differences in the expression of their behavior could be due to many factors, including medical conditions. These medical problems can change behavior directly or indirectly. The aims of this review are to describe the state of the art of the relationship among some medical and behavioral problems, and to propose new lines of investigation. The revision is focused on the relation between behavioral problems and pain, endocrine diseases, neurological problems, vomeronasal organ alterations, and cardiac disorders. These problems represent a diagnostic challenge from a practical point of view. The most common sign of pain in animals is a change in behavior. Although the relation of pain to behavioral problems has been widely studied, it is not absolutely clear. As an example, the relation between sleep disorders and pain is poorly known in veterinary medicine. New studies in humans and laboratory animals show that a reciprocal relationship does, in fact, exist. More specifically, the literature suggests that the temporal effect of sleep deprivation on pain may be stronger than that of pain on sleep. Some behavioral problems could modify the sleep-awake cycle (e.g., cognitive dysfunction). The impact of these behavioral problems on pain perception is completely unknown in dogs and cats. Thyroid hormones play an important role, regarding behavioral control. Both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism have been related to behavioral changes. Concerning hypothyroidism, this relationship remains controversial. Nonetheless, new neuro-imaging studies provide objective evidence that brain structure and function are altered in hypothyroid patients, both in laboratory animals and in humans. There are many neurological problems that could potentially change behavior. This paper reviews those neurological problems that could lead to behavioral changes without modifying neurological examination. The most common problems are tumors that affect central nervous system silent zon...

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Preliminary assessment of cognitive impairments in canine idiopathic epilepsy

Cited by 29 publications

References 27 publications

Impact of canine epilepsy on judgement and attention biases

Impact of canine epilepsy on judgement and attention biases

A multicenter randomized controlled trial of medium‐chain triglyceride dietary supplementation on epilepsy in dogs

A Review of Medical Conditions and Behavioral Problems in Dogs and Cats

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