Magnetic Resonance Imaging as a Diagnostic Marker of CCD: A Review

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in humans shares several features with canine cognitive dysfunction (CCD), a disease that affects older dogs. Therefore, CCD serves as a natural model for the study of AD. Several studies have documented early pathological changes in both AD and CCD, including widespread damage to the cerebral cortex and hippocampus, with this pathology attributed to the deposition of neurotoxic proteins such as beta-amyloid. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is currently the only advanced imaging modality routinely used to support the diagnosis and prognosis of CCD. However, it is not commonly applied for the diagnosis or longitudinal monitoring of aging dogs with cognitive dysfunction. MRI can detect brain atrophy, hippocampal atrophy, ventricular enlargement, widening of the cerebral sulci, lesions in the temporal lobes of the cerebral cortex, and progressive thinning of the interthalamic adhesion in dogs undergoing natural or pathological aging. Accordingly, this imaging modality may serve as a valuable diagnostic marker for CCD in both early and advanced stages.