Canine Cognitive Dysfunction and Alzheimer's Disease: Pathophysiological Relationships and the Impact of Glymphatic System Impairment on Neurodegeneration
Abstract
Canine cognitive dysfunction (CCD) is a common age-related neurodegenerative disorder in dogs that shares several pathological and clinical features with human Alzheimer's disease (AD). In both species, β-amyloid (Aβ) accumulates within the brain parenchyma and cerebral vessel walls and is associated with synaptic loss, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and chronic neuroinflammation, ultimately leading to progressive cognitive decline. Increasing evidence indicates that impairment of brain clearance mechanisms, particularly the glymphatic system, represents a central pathogenic mechanism in both CCD and AD. The glymphatic system is a glia-dependent perivascular network involved in the clearance of Aβ and other metabolic waste products from the brain. Its function declines with aging, vascular disease, and astrocytic alterations, including changes in aquaporin-4 distribution. Reduced glymphatic and periarterial drainage promotes the retention and aggregation of Aβ and tau proteins. Compared with AD, tau pathology in CCD is generally less extensive, supporting the interpretation of CCD as an Aβ-predominant condition and a partial pathological analog of Alzheimer's disease. Clinically, CCD is characterized by a constellation of behavioral changes including, disorientation, altered social interactions, sleep-wake cycle disturbances, a loss of housetraining, changes in activity levels, and increased anxiety, commonly summarized by the DISHAA acronym. Overall, CCD…
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Evidence Hub reads this as a review, done in animal, not in people. Its evidence level is 5 of 5 (Very low · case / narrative / animal / in vitro / in silico). Case reports, narrative reviews, and animal, cell or computer-model studies give the weakest evidence for human health.
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