title: Pathology of the Aging Brain in Domestic and Laboratory Animals, and Animal Models of Human Neurodegenerative Diseases.
abstract: According to the WHO, the proportion of people over 60 years is increasing and expected to reach 22% of total world's population in 2050. In parallel, recent animal demographic studies have shown that the life expectancy of pet dogs and cats is increasing. Brain aging is associated not only with molecular and morphological changes but also leads to different degrees of behavioral and cognitive dysfunction. Common age-related brain lesions in humans include brain atrophy, neuronal loss, amyloid plaques, cerebrovascular amyloid angiopathy, vascular mineralization, neurofibrillary tangles, meningeal osseous metaplasia, and accumulation of lipofuscin. In aging humans, the most common neurodegenerative disorder is Alzheimer's disease (AD), which progressively impairs cognition, behavior, and quality of life. Pathologic changes comparable to the lesions of AD are described in several other animal species, although their clinical significance and effect on cognitive function are poorly documented. This review describes the commonly reported age-associated neurologic lesions in domestic and laboratory animals and the relationship of these lesions to cognitive dysfunction. Also described are the comparative interspecies similarities and differences to AD and other human neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson's disease and progressive supranuclear palsy, and the spontaneous and transgenic animal models of these diseases.
authors: Department of Pathobiology, Dutch Molecular Pathology Center, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands sameh_youssef@sbcglobal.net.
authors: S A
authors: SA
authors: Youssef
authors: Department of Veterinary Sciences, Torino University, Torino, Italy.
authors: M T
authors: MT
authors: Capucchio
authors: Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands.
authors: J E
authors: JE
authors: Rofina
authors: Department of Veterinary Pathology, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
authors: J K
authors: JK
authors: Chambers
authors: Department of Veterinary Pathology, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
authors: K
authors: K
authors: Uchida
authors: Department of Veterinary Pathology, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Nakayama
authors: Sanders Brown Center on Aging, Pharmacology & Nutritional Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, UK, USA.
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Head
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000473:pathology*; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary; D000818:Animals; D000829:Animals, Domestic; D000830:Animals, Laboratory; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D002415:Cats; D016657:Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D004285:Dogs; D006801:Humans; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D016874:Neurofibrillary Tangles / Q000473:pathology; D058225:Plaque, Amyloid / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary; D011788:Quality of Life
keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; Parkinson’s disease; aging; amyloid plaques; animal models of human diseases; brain; cerebrovascular amyloid angiopathy; neurofibrillary tangles; pathology