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Cerebellar cortical degeneration with selective granule cell loss in Bavarian mountain dogs
Author(s) -
Flegel T.,
Matiasek K.,
Henke D.,
Grevel V.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
journal of small animal practice
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1748-5827
pISSN - 0022-4510
DOI - 10.1111/j.1748-5827.2006.00257.x
Subject(s) - cerebellum , medicine , pathology , cerebrospinal fluid , granule cell , magnetic resonance imaging , cerebellar degeneration , cerebellar cortex , neurological examination , cerebellar hypoplasia (non human) , anatomy , hypoplasia , central nervous system , radiology , surgery , dentate gyrus
Three Bavarian mountain dogs aged between 18 and 20 months, not related to each other, were presented with chronic signs of cerebellar dysfunction. On sagittal T2‐weighted magnetic resonance imaging brain images, the tentative diagnosis of cerebellar hypoplasia was established based on an enlarged cerebrospinal fluid space around the cerebellum and an increased cerebrospinal fluid signal between the folia. Post‐mortem examination was performed in one dog and did show an overall reduction of cerebellar size. On histopathologic examination, a selective loss of cerebellar granule cells with sparing of Purkinje cells was evident. Therefore, the Bavarian mountain dog is a breed where cerebellar cortical degeneration caused by the rather exceptional selective granule cell loss can be seen as cause of chronic, slowly progressive cerebellar dysfunction starting at an age of several months.