Aged Canine Cognitive Assessments

Transpharmation offers specialized services utilizing an aged canine model to study naturally occurring cognitive decline, reflecting Canine Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome. This model is invaluable for translational research, providing insights into age-related cognitive impairments and facilitating the development of therapeutic interventions. Our aged dog model has been instrumental in evaluating the efficacy of various compounds and dietary supplements aimed at mitigating cognitive deficits associated with aging.

Memory, recognition and visual function

Pattern recognition or pattern separation: Assesses spatial memory, episodic-like memory, and executive function.
Visual acuity contrast sensitivity task: Provides a sensitive measure of visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, and visual information processing.
Novel object recognition/exploration task: Directly assesses recognition memory, learning, and attention to novelty.

Exploration, engagement and motivation

Curiosity test: Provides an indirect measure of cognitive health through exploratory drive, engagement with novel stimuli, and environmental interest.
Open field activity task: Provides an indirect measure of cognitive relevance through activity, exploration, anxiety-related behavior, and willingness to engage with a novel environment.
Human interaction testing: Provides an indirect measure of cognitive relevance through social engagement, responsiveness, and interest in human interaction.
T-maze task: Provides an indirect measure of cognitive relevance and motivation through reward seeking, food motivation/sustained motivation, persistence across repeated trials, fatigue effects and reward valuation.

Activity tracking

Provides an indirect measure of neurological aging/health through sleep-wake cycle assessment and activity rhythm monitoring including sleep fragmentation, circadian rhythm disruption/regulation, day/night behavioral patterns, daily activity patterns, and rest-activity cycles.

Sleep disruption is a hallmark of cognitive aging in both dogs and humans. Our platform utilizes continuous accelerometer monitoring to quantify activity rhythms, nighttime restlessness, and alterations in sleep–wake cycles. These digital biomarkers complement cognitive assessments by providing sensitive measures of behavioral and circadian changes associated with healthy aging, Canine Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome, and therapeutic intervention response.

Bar chart of mean day and night activity counts in early adult, late adult and senior adult dogs: day activity falls from about 240,000 in early adults to about 140,000 in seniors, and night activity is lower in late and senior adults than in early adults.

Cosinor curves of hourly activity across the day for young adult, late adult and senior dogs: all peak around midday and trough around midnight, with seniors lowest throughout.