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Neuropathology of Feline Dementia

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Canine and Feline Dementia

Abstract

Aging cats show behavioral changes that may indicate neurodegenerative processes. In this chapter, we provide an overview of brain changes that have been reported as cats age. The primary focus has been on pathologies that are also seen in the human and canine brain, including beta-amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. There are several similarities between the neuropathology of aging cat brain and that of the canine and human brain. Interestingly, there are also unique features of feline brain aging that suggest they may be a useful animal model for understanding Alzheimer disease. There are many gaps in our knowledge related to which neurodegenerative changes are associated with cognitive decline in aging cats, suggesting the need for further studies in characterized animals.

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Acknowledgments

The images, reprinted with permission from the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, were generated by a study that was funded by Petsavers.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA

    Elizabeth Head

  2. The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and The Roslin Institute, The University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush Campus, Roslin, EH25 9RG, Scotland

    Danièlle Gunn-Moore

Authors
  1. Elizabeth Head
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  2. Danièlle Gunn-Moore
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Elizabeth Head .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. North Toronto Veterinary Behaviour, Specialty Clinic, Thornhill, Ontario, Canada

    Gary Landsberg

  2. Univ of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy, Small Animal Clinic, Košice, Slovakia

    Aladár Maďari

  3. Slovak Academy of Sciences, Institute of Neuroimmunology, Bratislava, Slovakia

    Norbert Žilka

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Head, E., Gunn-Moore, D. (2017). Neuropathology of Feline Dementia. In: Landsberg, G., Maďari, A., Žilka, N. (eds) Canine and Feline Dementia. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53219-6_6

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