Investigating canine degenerative myelopathy as a disease model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis for histopathological evidence of dysphagia

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] Unspecified swallowing impairment (dysphagia) was recently reported in dogs with degenerative myelopathy (DM), a proposed disease model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The purpose of our study was to establish a clinicopathological correlation of dysphagia in canine DM. We investigated the brainstem nuclei involved in swallowing in DM and control dogs. Samples were procured from the College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri. Subtle evidence of neurodegeneration within each of the brainstem nuclei involved in swallowing was identified in DM samples using hematoxylin & eosin staining. Immunohistochemical methods are currently underway to substantiate this finding. Given that virtually all humans with ALS develop dysphagia, characterization of swallowing impairment is imperative to validate canine DM as a bona fide animal model of ALS. This line of research has the potential to benefit both people and dogs with dysphagia related to ALS and other diseases that cause dysphagia.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.H.S.

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Communication science and disorders (MU)

Grantor dc:publisher

University of Missouri--Columbia

Year dc:date.issued

2012

Author dc:creator

• Pinnegar, Abbie Jolene

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Lever, Teresa E.

• dysphagia
• brainstem nuclei
• neurodegeneration

Statement dc:rights

• Access to files is limited to the campuses of the University of Missouri with SSO login.

Language dc:language.iso

eng, English

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/10355/35437

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:mospace.umsystem.edu:10355/35437