Although large dogs tend to live shorter lives than small dogs, researchers have discovered that their brains tend to age at the same rate. A University of Arizona team is launching a multiyear study to better understand cognitive aging in dogs.
Evan MacLean leads the Arizona Canine Cognition Center at UA’s vet school. His team plans to study 75 medium-sized dogs, focusing on how a specific growth hormone affects cognitive aging.
The goal is to understand why some dogs maintain cognitive health while others experience impairments and signs of dementia.
“We're hoping that by answering these questions, we'll not only be able to make discoveries that can advance dog health, but that we’ll also learn things that are very relevant to human cognitive health, and specifically which may help us develop effective treatments and interventions for conditions like Alzheimer's disease," he said.
His team plans to study 75 medium-sized dogs, focusing on how a specific growth hormone affects cognitive aging.
“So there are a lot of great scientific things that we can do with dogs that can generate answers to deep scientific questions relatively quickly and potentially advance and accelerate things in human medicine," MacLean said.
The research team is asking community dog owners for assistance in the study. They’re seeking dogs of 10 to 13 years old who weigh between 30 and 55 pounds.
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