Associations between physical activity and cognitive dysfunction in older companion dogs: results from the Dog Aging Project.

ABSTRACT: Canine cognitive dysfunction (CCD) is a form of dementia that shares many similarities with Alzheimer's disease. Given that physical activity is believed to reduce risk of Alzheimer's disease in humans, we explored the association between physical activity and cognitive health in a cohort of companion dogs, aged 6-18 years. We hypothesized that higher levels of physical activity would be associated with lower (i.e., better) scores on a cognitive dysfunction rating instrument and lower prevalence of dementia, and that this association would be robust when controlling for age, comorbidities, and other potential confounders. Our sample included 11,574 companion dogs enrolled through the Dog Aging Project, of whom 287 had scores over the clinical threshold for CCD. In this observational, cross

SUBMITTER: Bray EE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9886770 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature