The Effects of Antioxidants and Experience on the Development of Age Dependent Cognitive Dysfunction and Neuropathology in Canines
Abstract
The purpose of this research is to evaluate a diet high in antioxidants, environmental enrichment, and the combination of both treatments as interventions to prevent or slow down age-related cognitive decline and brain pathology in dogs. The study is a 3-year longitudinal design. During the first year, the dogs underwent baseline screening of cognitive function and general health, plus a magnetic resonance image (MRI) of the brain. The MRIs are being used to obtain in vivo measures of brain and cerebrovascular function. After completion of the baseline measurements, the dietary and environmental interventions were started. During the second year, the one-year re-evaluations were performed and showed that the antioxidant diet increased the peripheral blood measures of antioxidants, general health was unchanged, and visuo-spatial and learning skills were improved over controls. MR measurements indicate that the size of the brain ventricles are increasing with age, but this may be reduced in the dogs receiving the combined treatment. Through additional collaborations, several new endpoints have been optimized to evaluate peripheral and central measures of neuropathology and oxidative damage. At the end of the study, detailed histological analysis of brain tissue will be correlated with cognitive function and MR measures of brain anatomy and cerebrovascular function to establish the effectiveness of the treatments on delaying or preventing the development of age-related neuropathologies.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2000
- Accession Number
- ADA386489
Entities
People
- Bruce A. Muggenburg
- Elizabeth Head
Organizations
- Lovelace Foundation