Abstract:
Presbycusis, or age-related hearing loss, affects both elderly humans and dogs, significantly impairing their social interactions and cognition. In humans, presbycusis involves changes in peripheral and central auditory systems, with central changes potentially occurring independently. While peripheral presbycusis in dogs is well-documented, research on central changes remains limited. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is a useful tool for detecting and quantifying cerebral white matter abnormalities. This study used DTI to explore the central auditory pathway of senior dogs, aiming to enhance our understanding of canine presbycusis. Dogs beyond 75% of their expected lifespan were recruited and screened with brainstem auditory evoked response testing to select dogs without severe peripheral hearing loss. Sixteen dogs meeting the criteria were scanned using a 3 T magnetic resonance scanner. Tract-based spatial statistics was used to analyze the central auditory pathways. A significant negative correlation between fractional lifespan and fractional anisotropy was found in the acoustic radiation, suggesting age-related white matter changes in the central auditory system. These changes, observed in dogs without severe peripheral hearing loss, may contribute to central presbycusis development.
摘要:
长老会,或年龄相关的听力损失,影响老年人和狗,显著损害他们的社交互动和认知。在人类中,老年性耳聋涉及周围和中枢听觉系统的变化,中央变化可能独立发生。虽然狗的外周性老年性耳聋是有据可查的,关于中央变化的研究仍然有限。扩散张量成像(DTI)是检测和量化脑白质异常的有用工具。本研究使用DTI探索老年犬的中枢听觉通路,旨在提高我们对犬类老年性耳聋的认识。招募超过预期寿命75%的狗,并通过脑干听觉诱发反应测试进行筛查,以选择没有严重周围听力损失的狗。使用3T磁共振扫描仪扫描16只符合标准的狗。基于轨迹的空间统计用于分析中枢听觉通路。在声辐射中发现分数寿命与分数各向异性之间存在显着负相关。提示中枢听觉系统中与年龄相关的白质变化。这些变化,在没有严重周围听力损失的狗中观察到,可能有助于中央长老会的发展。