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Denenberg S, Machin KL, Landsberg GM. Behavior and Cognition of the Senior Cat and Its Interaction with Physical Disease. Vet Clin North Am Small Anim Pract 2024; 54:153-168. [PMID: 37865588 DOI: 10.1016/j.cvsm.2023.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2023]
Abstract
In cats, age-related pathologic condition and neurologic degeneration can produce changes in activity, vocalization, appearance, appetite, litter box use, sleep-wake cycle, personality, and cognitive ability. These changes can influence the relationship between owner and pet. Although cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS) can cause altered behavior later in life, other medical or behavioral causes may mimic these clinical signs or complicate diagnosis. Management and treatment of CDS can be accomplished through pharmacologic intervention, diet and nutritional supplementation, and environmental enrichment aimed at slowing the progression of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sagi Denenberg
- North Toronto Veterinary Behaviour Specialty Clinic, 8705 Yonge Street, Richmond Hill, Ontario L4C 6Z1, Canada.
| | - Karen L Machin
- Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B4, Canada
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Vidal-Palencia L, Font C, Rebollada-Merino A, Santpere G, Andrés-Benito P, Ferrer I, Pumarola M. Primary Feline Tauopathy: Clinical, Morphological, Immunohistochemical, and Genetic Studies. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:2985. [PMID: 37760385 PMCID: PMC10525166 DOI: 10.3390/ani13182985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Revised: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Tauopathies are a group of neurodegenerative diseases characterized by the pathological aggregation of hyperphosphorylated tau in neurons and glia. Primary tauopathies are not uncommon in humans but exceptional in other species. We evaluate the clinical, neuropathological, and genetic alterations related to tau pathology in 16 cats aged from 1 to 21 years with different clinical backgrounds. Interestingly, a 10-year-old female cat presented a six-year progressive history of mental status and gait abnormalities. The imaging study revealed generalized cortical atrophy. Due to the poor prognosis, the cat was euthanatized at the age of ten. Neuropathological lesions were characterized by massive neuronal loss with marked spongiosis and associated moderate reactive gliosis in the parietal cortex, being less severe in other areas of the cerebral cortex, and the loss of Purkinje cells of the cerebellum. Immunohistochemical methods revealed a 4R-tauopathy with granular pre-tangles in neurons and coiled bodies in oligodendrocytes. Deposits were recognized with several phospho-site antibodies (4Rtau, tau5, AT8, PFH, tau-P Thr181, tau-P-Ser 262, tau-P Ser 422) and associated with increased granular expression of active tau kinases (p38-P Thr180/Tyr182 and SAPK/JNK-P Thr138/Thr185). The genetic study revealed well-preserved coding regions of MAPT. No similar alterations related to tau pathology were found in the other 15 cats processed in parallel. To our knowledge, this is the first case reporting a primary 4R-tauopathy with severe cerebral and Purkinje cell degeneration in an adult cat with neurological signs starting at a young age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Vidal-Palencia
- Hospital del Mar Research Institute, Parc de Recerca Biomèdica de Barcelona (PRBB), 08003 Barcelona, Spain;
- Unitat de Patologia Murina i Comparada, Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Facultat de Veterinària, Campus UAB, Travessera dels Turons s/n, 08193 Barcelona, Spain;
| | - Cristina Font
- Hospital Veterinari Canis, Can Pau Birol, 38, 17006 Girona, Spain;
| | - Agustín Rebollada-Merino
- VISAVET Health Surveillance Centre, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain;
- Department of Internal Medicine and Animal Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Gabriel Santpere
- Hospital del Mar Research Institute, Parc de Recerca Biomèdica de Barcelona (PRBB), 08003 Barcelona, Spain;
- Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Pol Andrés-Benito
- Institut d’Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge (IDIBELL), 08908 Barcelona, Spain; (P.A.-B.); (I.F.)
| | - Isidro Ferrer
- Institut d’Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge (IDIBELL), 08908 Barcelona, Spain; (P.A.-B.); (I.F.)
- Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapeutics, University of Barcelona, 08007 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Martí Pumarola
- Unitat de Patologia Murina i Comparada, Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Facultat de Veterinària, Campus UAB, Travessera dels Turons s/n, 08193 Barcelona, Spain;
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de Sousa AA, Rigby Dames BA, Graff EC, Mohamedelhassan R, Vassilopoulos T, Charvet CJ. Going beyond established model systems of Alzheimer's disease: companion animals provide novel insights into the neurobiology of aging. Commun Biol 2023; 6:655. [PMID: 37344566 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05034-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2022] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by brain plaques, tangles, and cognitive impairment. AD is one of the most common age-related dementias in humans. Progress in characterizing AD and other age-related disorders is hindered by a perceived dearth of animal models that naturally reproduce diseases observed in humans. Mice and nonhuman primates are model systems used to understand human diseases. Still, these model systems lack many of the biological characteristics of Alzheimer-like diseases (e.g., plaques, tangles) as they grow older. In contrast, companion animal models (cats and dogs) age in ways that resemble humans. Both companion animal models and humans show evidence of brain atrophy, plaques, and tangles, as well as cognitive decline with age. We embrace a One Health perspective, which recognizes that the health of humans is connected to those of animals, and we illustrate how such a perspective can work synergistically to enhance human and animal health. A comparative biology perspective is ideally suited to integrate insights across veterinary and human medical disciplines and solve long-standing problems in aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra A de Sousa
- Centre for Health and Cognition, Bath Spa University, Bath, UK
- Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK
| | - Brier A Rigby Dames
- Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK
- Department of Computer Science, University of Bath, Bath, UK
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, Milner Centre for Evolution, University of Bath, Bath, UK
| | - Emily C Graff
- Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
| | - Rania Mohamedelhassan
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
| | - Tatianna Vassilopoulos
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
| | - Christine J Charvet
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA.
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I F. The unique neuropathological vulnerability of the human brain to aging. Ageing Res Rev 2023; 87:101916. [PMID: 36990284 DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2023.101916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Revised: 03/19/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD)-related neurofibrillary tangles (NFT), argyrophilic grain disease (AGD), aging-related tau astrogliopathy (ARTAG), limbic predominant TDP-43 proteinopathy (LATE), and amygdala-predominant Lewy body disease (LBD) are proteinopathies that, together with hippocampal sclerosis, progressively appear in the elderly affecting from 50% to 99% of individuals aged 80 years, depending on the disease. These disorders usually converge on the same subject and associate with additive cognitive impairment. Abnormal Tau, TDP-43, and α-synuclein pathologies progress following a pattern consistent with an active cell-to-cell transmission and abnormal protein processing in the host cell. However, cell vulnerability and transmission pathways are specific for each disorder, albeit abnormal proteins may co-localize in particular neurons. All these alterations are unique or highly prevalent in humans. They all affect, at first, the archicortex and paleocortex to extend at later stages to the neocortex and other regions of the telencephalon. These observations show that the phylogenetically oldest areas of the human cerebral cortex and amygdala are not designed to cope with the lifespan of actual humans. New strategies aimed at reducing the functional overload of the human telencephalon, including optimization of dream repair mechanisms and implementation of artificial circuit devices to surrogate specific brain functions, appear promising.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ferrer I
- Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapeutics, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Emeritus Researcher of the Bellvitge Institute of Biomedical Research (IDIBELL), Barcelona, Spain; Biomedical Research Network of Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED), Barcelona, Spain; Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.
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Zadik-Weiss L, Ritter S, Hermush V, Asher N, Avital A, Or R. Feline cognitive dysfunction as a model for Alzheimer's disease in the research of CBD as a potential treatment-a narrative review. J Cannabis Res 2020; 2:43. [PMID: 33526138 PMCID: PMC7819322 DOI: 10.1186/s42238-020-00054-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2020] [Accepted: 11/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
With the improvement in modern medicine, the world's human and feline (Felis catus, the domestic cat) population is aging. As the population grows older, there is an increase of age-related diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease in humans and feline cognitive dysfunction in felines, which shares many similarities with Alzheimer's disease. They both result in cognitive decline and lack effective treatments. In light of their pathological similarities, both occur at old age, and as domestic cats share the human environment and risk factors (cats are considered an indicator to the effect of environmental contaminants on humans as they share exposures and diseases), cats have the potential to be a spontaneous model for Alzheimer's disease. Classic animal models in many cases fail to predict the results in humans, and a natural model can lead to better prediction of results, thus being both time and cost-effective. The feline disease can be researched in trials that could be simultaneously clinical trials for cats and preclinical trials for humans, also referred to as reverse translational medicine. As both maladies lack effective medical intervention, new potential treatments are merited. Cannabidiol (CBD) is a promising agent that may improve the life of these patients, as it was shown to potentially treat several of the pathologies found in both conditions. yet there is a need for further research in order to establish the benefits and safety of CBD to both human and feline patients.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Vered Hermush
- Department of Geriatrics and Skilled Nursing, Laniado Medical Center, Netanya, Israel
- Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Nethanel Asher
- The Ella Lemelbaum Institute for Immuno-Oncology, Sheba Medical Center, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Avi Avital
- Behavioral Neuroscience Lab, Department of Neuroscience, The Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Reuven Or
- Bone Marrow Transplantation, Cancer Immunotherapy & Immunobiology Research Center, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel
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Houben S, de Fisenne MA, Ando K, Vanden Dries V, Poncelet L, Yilmaz Z, Mansour S, De Decker R, Brion JP, Leroy K. Intravenous Injection of PHF-Tau Proteins From Alzheimer Brain Exacerbates Neuroinflammation, Amyloid Beta, and Tau Pathologies in 5XFAD Transgenic Mice. Front Mol Neurosci 2020; 13:106. [PMID: 32765217 PMCID: PMC7381181 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2020.00106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2020] [Accepted: 05/20/2020] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by the accumulation in the brain of intraneuronal aggregates of abnormally and hyperphosphorylated tau proteins and of extracellular deposits of amyloid-β surrounded by dystrophic neurites. Numerous experimental models have shown that tau pathology develops in the brain after intracerebral injection of brain homogenates or pathological tau [paired helical filaments (PHF)-tau)] from AD brains. Further investigations are however necessary to identify or exclude potential extracerebral routes of tau pathology transmission, e.g., through the intravascular route. In this study, we have analyzed the effect of intravenous injection of PHF-tau proteins from AD brains on the formation of tau and amyloid pathologies in the brain of wild-type (WT) mice and of 5XFAD mice (an amyloid model). We observed that 5XFAD mice with a disrupted blood-brain barrier showed increased plaque-associated astrogliosis, microgliosis, and increased deposits of Aβ40 and Aβ42 after intravenous injection of PHF-tau proteins. In addition, an increased phosphotau immunoreactivity was observed in plaque-associated dystrophic neurites. These results suggest that blood products contaminated by PHF-tau proteins could potentially induce an exacerbation of neuroinflammation and AD pathologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Houben
- Laboratory of Histology, Neuroanatomy and Neuropathology, Faculty of Medicine, ULB Neuroscience Institute, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Marie-Ange de Fisenne
- Laboratory of Histology, Neuroanatomy and Neuropathology, Faculty of Medicine, ULB Neuroscience Institute, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Kunie Ando
- Laboratory of Histology, Neuroanatomy and Neuropathology, Faculty of Medicine, ULB Neuroscience Institute, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Virginie Vanden Dries
- Laboratory of Histology, Neuroanatomy and Neuropathology, Faculty of Medicine, ULB Neuroscience Institute, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Luc Poncelet
- Laboratory of Anatomy, Biomechanics and Organogenesis, Faculty of Medicine, ULB Neuroscience Institute, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Zehra Yilmaz
- Laboratory of Histology, Neuroanatomy and Neuropathology, Faculty of Medicine, ULB Neuroscience Institute, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Salwa Mansour
- Laboratory of Histology, Neuroanatomy and Neuropathology, Faculty of Medicine, ULB Neuroscience Institute, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Robert De Decker
- Laboratory of Histology, Neuroanatomy and Neuropathology, Faculty of Medicine, ULB Neuroscience Institute, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Jean-Pierre Brion
- Laboratory of Histology, Neuroanatomy and Neuropathology, Faculty of Medicine, ULB Neuroscience Institute, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Karelle Leroy
- Laboratory of Histology, Neuroanatomy and Neuropathology, Faculty of Medicine, ULB Neuroscience Institute, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
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