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Urinary Neurotransmitter Patterns Are Altered in Canine Epilepsy
Teresa Schmidt1, Sebastian Meller1, Steven R Talbot2
1Department of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, University of Veterinary Medicine, Hannover, Germany.
Frontiers in Veterinary Science
|June 2, 2022
Summary
Urinary neurotransmitter levels differ in dogs with epilepsy compared to healthy dogs. This finding suggests urine analysis could help diagnose and monitor canine epilepsy, offering a potential non-invasive biomarker.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Neurology
- Neurochemistry
- Biomarker Discovery
Background:
- Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder in dogs, often linked to neurotransmitter imbalances.
- Urinary neurotransmitter analysis is established in human psychology but underutilized for epilepsy.
- Investigating urinary profiles may reveal diagnostic markers for canine epilepsy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if urinary neurotransmitter profiles differ between epileptic and healthy dogs.
- To explore the potential of urinary neurotransmitters as biomarkers for canine epilepsy.
- To assess the impact of antiseizure medication on urinary neurotransmitter levels.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 223 urine samples from 63 epileptic and 127 control dogs.
- Quantification of nine urinary neurotransmitters using mass spectrometry.
- Statistical analysis accounting for sex and neutering status.
Main Results:
- Significant differences in urinary levels of glycine, serotonin, norepinephrine/epinephrine ratio, and GABA/glutamate ratio were observed between epileptic and control dogs.
- Antiseizure drug treatment influenced urinary serotonin and GABA concentrations.
- Altered neurotransmitter elimination in urine correlates with brain neurotransmitter system imbalances in epilepsy.
Conclusions:
- Urinary neurotransmitter profiles can distinguish dogs with idiopathic epilepsy from healthy controls.
- Urinary neurotransmitters show potential as non-invasive biomarkers for canine epilepsy diagnostics and treatment monitoring.
- Further research is needed to fully understand the brain-urine neurotransmitter relationship in canine epilepsy.
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