Yoon Jun-Won, Nam Chan-Sik, Lee Kwang-Sup, Dan Tae-Jung, Jeon Hee-Jung, Kang Mi-Ae, Park Hee-Myung
Department of Veterinary Internal Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, Republic of Korea.
VET and GENE, Seongnam 13209, Republic of Korea.
Animals (Basel). 2025 Jul 4;15(13):1974. doi: 10.3390/ani15131974.
Canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder in aging dogs and serves as a natural model for Alzheimer's disease in humans. This study evaluated blood biomarkers-amyloid-beta (Aβ40, Aβ42), neurofilament light chain (NfL), and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)-for diagnosing and staging CDS and assessed whether combining biomarkers with behavioral questionnaires improves diagnostic reliability. Seventy-seven dogs, including healthy controls and CDS cases, were assessed using the Canine Cognitive Dysfunction Rating Scale (CCDR), Canine Dementia Scale (CADES), and Canine Cognitive Assessment Scale (CCAS). Plasma Aβ40, Aβ42, GFAP, and serum NfL levels were measured via ELISA. While Aβ40, Aβ42, and GFAP were not significantly associated with CDS stage, serum NfL levels were elevated ( < 0.05) across all questionnaires. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses showed areas under the curve (AUCs) of 0.763 (CCDR), 0.722 (CADES), and 0.777 (CCAS), with cut-off values around 18.28-43.13 pg/mL. NfL shows promise as a blood biomarker correlated with CDS severity. Combining serum NfL measurements with questionnaire assessments may enhance diagnostic accuracy for CDS in veterinary practice.
犬认知功能障碍综合征（CDS）是老年犬的一种进行性神经退行性疾病，可作为人类阿尔茨海默病的天然模型。本研究评估了血液生物标志物——淀粉样β蛋白（Aβ40、Aβ42）、神经丝轻链（NfL）和胶质纤维酸性蛋白（GFAP）——用于CDS的诊断和分期，并评估将生物标志物与行为问卷相结合是否能提高诊断可靠性。使用犬认知功能障碍评定量表（CCDR）、犬痴呆量表（CADES）和犬认知评估量表（CCAS）对77只犬进行评估，包括健康对照犬和CDS病例。通过酶联免疫吸附测定法测量血浆Aβ40、Aβ42、GFAP和血清NfL水平。虽然Aβ40、Aβ42和GFAP与CDS分期无显著相关性，但在所有问卷中血清NfL水平均升高（<0.05）。受试者工作特征（ROC）分析显示，曲线下面积（AUC）分别为0.763（CCDR）、0.722（CADES）和0.777（CCAS），截断值约为18.28 - 43.13 pg/mL。NfL有望作为与CDS严重程度相关的血液生物标志物。在兽医实践中，将血清NfL测量与问卷评估相结合可能会提高CDS的诊断准确性。
