Mondino Alejandra, Khan Michael, Case Beth, Fefer Gilad, Panek Wojciech K, Gruen Margaret E, Olby Natasha J
Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States.
Front Vet Sci. 2023 Jun 15;10:1150590. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1150590. eCollection 2023.
In humans, gait speed is a crucial component in geriatric evaluation since decreasing speed can be a harbinger of cognitive decline and dementia. Aging companion dogs can suffer from age-related mobility impairment, cognitive decline and dementia known as canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome. We hypothesized that there would be an association between gait speed and cognition in aging dogs.
We measured gait speed on and off leash in 46 adult and 49 senior dogs. Cognitive performance in senior dogs was assessed by means of the Canine Dementia Scale and a battery of cognitive tests.
We demonstrated that dogs' food-motivated gait speed off leash is correlated with fractional lifespan and cognitive performance in dogs, particularly in the domains of attention and working memory.
Food-motivated gait speed off leash represents a relatively easy variable to measure in clinical settings. Moreover, it proves to be a more effective indicator of age-related deterioration and cognitive decline than gait speed on leash.
在人类中，步速是老年评估的关键组成部分，因为步速下降可能是认知衰退和痴呆的先兆。老年伴侣犬会出现与年龄相关的行动能力受损、认知衰退和痴呆，即犬类认知功能障碍综合征。我们假设老年犬的步速与认知之间存在关联。
我们测量了46只成年犬和49只老年犬在牵引状态下和非牵引状态下的步速。通过犬类痴呆量表和一系列认知测试评估老年犬的认知表现。
我们证明，犬类非牵引状态下受食物激励的步速与犬的相对寿命和认知表现相关，特别是在注意力和工作记忆方面。
非牵引状态下受食物激励的步速是临床环境中相对容易测量的变量。此外，事实证明，它比牵引状态下的步速更能有效指示与年龄相关的机能衰退和认知下降。
