Araujo Joseph A, Segarra Sergi, Mendes Jessica, Paradis Andrea, Brooks Melissa, Thevarkunnel Sandy, Milgram Norton W
InterVivo Solutions Inc., Fergus, ON, Canada.
R&D Bioiberica S.A.U., Esplugues de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.
Front Vet Sci. 2022 Jul 13;9:646451. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2022.646451. eCollection 2022.
Canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS) is a disorder found in senior dogs that is typically defined by the development of specific behavioral signs which are attributed to pathological brain aging and no other medical causes. One way of objectively characterizing CDS is with the use of validated neuropsychological test batteries in aged Beagle dogs, which are a natural model of this condition. This study used a series of neuropsychological tests to evaluate the effectiveness of supplementation with a novel lipid extract containing porcine brain-derived sphingolipids (Biosfeen®) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) for attenuating cognitive deficits in aged Beagles. Two groups ( = 12), balanced for baseline cognitive test performance, received a daily oral dose of either test supplement, or placebo over a 6-month treatment phase. Cognitive function was evaluated using the following tasks: delayed non-matching to position (DNMP), selective attention, discrimination learning retention, discrimination reversal learning, and spatial discrimination acquisition and reversal learning. The effect of the supplement on brain metabolism using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) was also examined. A significant decline ( = 0.02) in DNMP performance was seen in placebo-treated dogs, but not in dogs receiving the supplement, suggesting attenuation of working memory performance decline. Compared to placebo, the supplemented group also demonstrated significantly improved ( = 0.01) performance on the most difficult pattern of the spatial discrimination task and on reversal learning of the same pattern ( = 0.01), potentially reflecting improved spatial recognition and executive function, respectively. MRS revealed a significant increase ( = 0.048) in frontal lobe glutamate and glutamine in the treatment group compared to placebo, indicating a physiological change which may be attributed to the supplement. Decreased levels of glutamate and glutamine have been correlated with cognitive decline, suggesting the observed increase in these metabolites might be linked to the positive cognitive effects found in the present study. Results of this study suggest the novel lipid extract may be beneficial for counteracting age-dependent deficits in Beagle dogs and supports further investigation into its use for treatment of CDS. Additionally, due to parallels between canine and human aging, these results might also have applicability for the use of the supplement in human cognitive health.
犬认知功能障碍综合征（CDS）是一种在老年犬中发现的疾病，通常由特定行为迹象的出现来定义，这些迹象归因于病理性脑老化，而非其他医学原因。客观表征CDS的一种方法是在老年比格犬中使用经过验证的神经心理测试组合，比格犬是这种病症的天然模型。本研究使用了一系列神经心理测试来评估补充一种新型脂质提取物（含有猪脑来源的鞘脂（Biosfeen®）和二十二碳六烯酸（DHA））对减轻老年比格犬认知缺陷的有效性。两组（每组n = 12）在基线认知测试表现上保持平衡，在为期6个月的治疗阶段，每天口服给予测试补充剂或安慰剂。使用以下任务评估认知功能：延迟位置匹配（DNMP）、选择性注意力、辨别学习保留、辨别逆转学习以及空间辨别获取和逆转学习。还使用磁共振波谱（MRS）检查了补充剂对脑代谢的影响。在接受安慰剂治疗的犬中观察到DNMP表现显著下降（p = 0.02），但在接受补充剂的犬中未观察到，这表明工作记忆表现下降得到了缓解。与安慰剂相比，补充剂组在空间辨别任务最困难模式以及相同模式的逆转学习上也表现出显著改善（p = 0.01），这可能分别反映了空间识别和执行功能的改善。MRS显示，与安慰剂相比，治疗组额叶谷氨酸和谷氨酰胺显著增加（p = 0.048），表明这是一种可能归因于补充剂的生理变化。谷氨酸和谷氨酰胺水平降低与认知衰退相关，这表明本研究中观察到的这些代谢物增加可能与积极的认知效应有关。本研究结果表明，这种新型脂质提取物可能有助于抵消比格犬中与年龄相关的缺陷，并支持进一步研究其用于治疗CDS 的用途。此外，由于犬类和人类衰老之间存在相似之处，这些结果可能也适用于该补充剂在人类认知健康方面的应用。
