Canine Autism
Posted: Sun May 05, 2019 9:58 pm
This one is just for discussion. I had a friend e-mail me after she had read the following [url]article:http://vaccineimpact.com/2017/autism-sy ... ates-rise/[/url]
-Because I had presented the case of dog with austism-like symptoms in our Canadian Animal Physical Therapy newsletter back in 2002, and also presented the abstract of the case at the 3rd International Symposium in Vet-Rehab in Raleigh, NC. It led me to creating a lecture on Sensory Integration (which you have on FourLeg in the Video Training section).
Now, because this topic has returned. I thought I'd look up what is NOW in the literature regarding canine Autism. And I found this:
J Comp Psychol. 2017 May;131(2):139-149.
Characterizing autism-relevant social behavior in poodles (Canis familiaris) via owner report.
Zamzow RM, Lit L, Hamilton S, Beversdorf DQ.
Abstract
[Correction Notice: An Erratum for this article was reported in Vol 131(2) of Journal of Comparative Psychology (see record 2017-20237-001). In the article, the scientific name for the species was missing in the title. All versions of this article have been corrected.] Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in social communication and the presence of restricted, repetitive behaviors. It can be difficult to model the complex behavioral features of this disorder with rodent models, which have limited similarity to human behaviors. The domestic dog may be a promising model of complex human behavior, including core features of ASD. The present study examines ASD-relevant social behavior in Miniature and Standard Poodles using an owner-report questionnaire with questions adapted from the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (Lord, Rutter, DiLavore, & Risi, 2000). A previous study identified 3 behavioral constructs examined by this questionnaire: initiation of reciprocal social behaviors, response to social interaction, and communication. In the present study, confirmatory and experimental factor analyses used to assess how collected data fit with the previous model revealed moderate model fit and a similar factorial structure. Between-breed comparisons across these factors and at the individual question level revealed differences between Miniature and Standard Poodles in showing behaviors. Cluster analyses used to group dogs within each breed according to social behavior identified smaller subgroups of dogs with less social behavior across all 3 factors compared with the average within each breed. Within- and between-breed differences in social behavior warrant investigation of genetic variation underlying this complex trait as it relates to ASD-relevant behavior.
Digging further I came across this:
Wiley Interdiscip Rev Cogn Sci. 2019 Feb 14:e1495. doi: 10.1002/wcs.1495. [Epub ahead of print]
The dog (Canis familiaris) as a translational model of autism: It is high time we move from promise to reality.
Topál J, Román V, Turcsán B.
Selecting appropriate animal models for a particular human phenomenon is a difficult but important challenge. The difficulty lies in finding animal behaviors that are not only sufficiently relevant and analog to the complex human symptoms (face validity) but also have similar underlying biological and etiological mechanisms (translational or construct validity), and have "human-like" responses to treatment (predictive validity). Over the past several years, the domestic dog (Canis familiaris) has become increasingly proposed as a model for comparative and translational neuroscience. In parallel to the recent advances in canine behavior research, dogs have also been proposed as a model of many human neuropsychiatric conditions, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In this opinion paper we will shortly discuss the challenging nature of autism research then summarize the different neurocognitive frameworks for ASD making the case for a canine model of autism. The translational value of a dog model stems from the recognition that (a) there is a large inter-individual variability in the manifestation of dogs' social cognitive abilities including both high and low phenotypic extremes; (b) the phenotypic similarity between the dog and human symptoms are much higher than between the rodent and human symptoms; (c) the symptoms are functionally analogous to the human condition; and (d) more likely to have similar etiology.
To me, this is amazing that 17 years later, researchers are starting to think outside the box... just like I did almost 2 decades earlier!!!
So, just opening up the doors for discussion. Has anyone else seen, worked with, or treated dogs with Austism Spectrum-like disorders?
Laurie
-Because I had presented the case of dog with austism-like symptoms in our Canadian Animal Physical Therapy newsletter back in 2002, and also presented the abstract of the case at the 3rd International Symposium in Vet-Rehab in Raleigh, NC. It led me to creating a lecture on Sensory Integration (which you have on FourLeg in the Video Training section).
Now, because this topic has returned. I thought I'd look up what is NOW in the literature regarding canine Autism. And I found this:
J Comp Psychol. 2017 May;131(2):139-149.
Characterizing autism-relevant social behavior in poodles (Canis familiaris) via owner report.
Zamzow RM, Lit L, Hamilton S, Beversdorf DQ.
Abstract
[Correction Notice: An Erratum for this article was reported in Vol 131(2) of Journal of Comparative Psychology (see record 2017-20237-001). In the article, the scientific name for the species was missing in the title. All versions of this article have been corrected.] Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in social communication and the presence of restricted, repetitive behaviors. It can be difficult to model the complex behavioral features of this disorder with rodent models, which have limited similarity to human behaviors. The domestic dog may be a promising model of complex human behavior, including core features of ASD. The present study examines ASD-relevant social behavior in Miniature and Standard Poodles using an owner-report questionnaire with questions adapted from the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (Lord, Rutter, DiLavore, & Risi, 2000). A previous study identified 3 behavioral constructs examined by this questionnaire: initiation of reciprocal social behaviors, response to social interaction, and communication. In the present study, confirmatory and experimental factor analyses used to assess how collected data fit with the previous model revealed moderate model fit and a similar factorial structure. Between-breed comparisons across these factors and at the individual question level revealed differences between Miniature and Standard Poodles in showing behaviors. Cluster analyses used to group dogs within each breed according to social behavior identified smaller subgroups of dogs with less social behavior across all 3 factors compared with the average within each breed. Within- and between-breed differences in social behavior warrant investigation of genetic variation underlying this complex trait as it relates to ASD-relevant behavior.
Digging further I came across this:
Wiley Interdiscip Rev Cogn Sci. 2019 Feb 14:e1495. doi: 10.1002/wcs.1495. [Epub ahead of print]
The dog (Canis familiaris) as a translational model of autism: It is high time we move from promise to reality.
Topál J, Román V, Turcsán B.
Selecting appropriate animal models for a particular human phenomenon is a difficult but important challenge. The difficulty lies in finding animal behaviors that are not only sufficiently relevant and analog to the complex human symptoms (face validity) but also have similar underlying biological and etiological mechanisms (translational or construct validity), and have "human-like" responses to treatment (predictive validity). Over the past several years, the domestic dog (Canis familiaris) has become increasingly proposed as a model for comparative and translational neuroscience. In parallel to the recent advances in canine behavior research, dogs have also been proposed as a model of many human neuropsychiatric conditions, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In this opinion paper we will shortly discuss the challenging nature of autism research then summarize the different neurocognitive frameworks for ASD making the case for a canine model of autism. The translational value of a dog model stems from the recognition that (a) there is a large inter-individual variability in the manifestation of dogs' social cognitive abilities including both high and low phenotypic extremes; (b) the phenotypic similarity between the dog and human symptoms are much higher than between the rodent and human symptoms; (c) the symptoms are functionally analogous to the human condition; and (d) more likely to have similar etiology.
To me, this is amazing that 17 years later, researchers are starting to think outside the box... just like I did almost 2 decades earlier!!!
So, just opening up the doors for discussion. Has anyone else seen, worked with, or treated dogs with Austism Spectrum-like disorders?
Laurie