# ANIMAL MODEL OF ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS · 1993 · $145,970

## Abstract

The objective of this proposal is to examine the dog as an animal model
of Alzheimer's disease (AD).  Several investigators have shown that
Alzheimer's disease like neuropathology (ADLN) occurs in aged dogs.(1-10)
Dogs have been reported to have preamyloid plaques, (1,5,6,7) senile
amyloid plaques (2,3,9) and neurofibrillary tangles. (2,4) In preliminary
work, our laboratory has examined the brains of beagle dogs which were
raised in an environmentally controlled laboratory colony and found that
the distribution of plaques in their brains was similar to that found in
human AD(6).  The animals studied did not receive any experimental
treatment, and 58% were found to have plaque formations in their brains.
Additionally, there is an apparent relationship between the litter a dog
was born in and the occurrence of plaques in its brain at old age.(6)
Thus, animals who had littermates with plaques were also found to have
plaques, and those without plaques had littermates without plaques.  The
association of littermates and plaque formation suggests that canine
plaque formation may be due to some prenatal influence, and may be
genetic.  The genetic hypothesis would be consistent with human data of
autosomal dominant inheritance with age-dependent penetrance among
relatives of patients with familial AD. (11) This proposal builds on
these initial findings and will define the dog pathology more fully.  The
focus is on the examination of the dog as an animal model of ADLN.  More
specifically: 1) We will adapt human and rodent neurobehavioral tests of
memory and sensory function to the dog to establish the degree of
relationship between canine dementia and the presence of ADLN. 2) We will
examine the brains from parents and offspring of dogs with established
genetic histories to determine if the occurrence of plaques is
genetically influenced. 3) We will examine brains from a variety of
breeds of dogs to determine which breeds have the highest incidence of
ADLN.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3123296
- **Project number:** 1R01AG011350-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS
- **SAM.gov UEI:** TX2DAGQPENZ5
- **Principal Investigator:** MICHAEL J RUSSELL
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1993
- **Award amount:** $145,970
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 1993-06-01 → 1997-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3123296

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3123296, ANIMAL MODEL OF ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE (1R01AG011350-01). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3123296. Licensed CC0.

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