Skip to main content

REVIEW article

Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Veterinary Neurology and Neurosurgery
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1480860
This article is part of the Research Topic Reviews in Veterinary Neurology and Neurosurgery View all 11 articles

Diffusion Tensor Imaging for Detecting Biomarkers of Idiopathic Epilepsy in Dogs

Provisionally accepted
Grace Tatiana Kadler Grace Tatiana Kadler Alex zur Linden Alex zur Linden Luis Gaitero Luis Gaitero Fiona May Keir James Fiona May Keir James *
  • Department of Clinical Studies, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Idiopathic epilepsy (IE) is the most common neurological disease in dogs. Approximately 1/3 of dogs with IE are resistant to anti-seizure medications (ASMs). Because the diagnosis of IE is largely based on the exclusion of other diseases, it would be beneficial to indicate an IE biomarker to better understand, diagnose, and treat this disease. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequence, is used in human medicine to detect microstructural biomarkers of epilepsy. Based on the translational model between people and dogs, the use of DTI should be investigated in a veterinary context to determine if it is a viable resource for detecting microstructural white matter abnormalities in the brains of dogs with IE. As well, to determine if there are differences in white matter microstructure between dogs who are responsive to ASMs and dogs who are resistant to ASMs. Using DTI to better understand neurostructural abnormalities associated with IE and ASM resistance might help refine diagnostic approaches and treatment processes in veterinary medicine.

    Keywords: idiopathic epilepsy (IE), Dogs, Neuroimaging, biomarker, microstructure, Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), Drug resistant epilepsy (DRE), fractional anisotropy

    Received: 14 Aug 2024; Accepted: 20 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Kadler, zur Linden, Gaitero and James. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Fiona May Keir James, Department of Clinical Studies, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.