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Biomedical subjects

Karen L Overall

Publications and source records attributed to Karen L Overall.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Neurobehavioral functional deficits following closed head injury in the neonatal pig.

Neurobehavioral deficits in higher cortical systems have not been described previously in a large animal model of diffuse brain injury. Anesthetized 3-5 day old piglets were subjected to either mild (142 rad/s) or moderate (188 rad/s) rapid non-impact axial rotations of the head. Multiple domains of cortical function were evaluated 5 times during the 12 day post-injury period using tests of neurobehavioral function devised for piglets. There were no observed differences in neurobehavioral outcomes between mild injury pigs (N=8) and instrumented shams (N=4). Moderately injured piglets (N=7) had significantly lower interest in exploring their environment and had higher failure rates in visual-based problem solving compared to instrumented shams (N=5) on days 1 and 4 after injury. Neurobehavioral functional deficits correlated with neuropathologic damage in the neonatal pigs after inertial head injury. Injured axons detected by immunohistochemistry (beta-APP) were absent in mild injury and sham piglets, but were observed in moderately injured piglet brains. In summary, we have developed a quantitative battery of neurobehavioral functional assessments for large animals that correlate with neuropathologic axonal damage and may have wide applications in the fields of cardiac resuscitation, stroke, and hypoxic-ischemic brain injury.

Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor↗
PubMed2005

Enrichment strategies for laboratory animals from the viewpoint of clinical veterinary behavioral medicine: emphasis on cats on dogs.

Behavioral wellness has become a recent focus for the care of laboratory animals, farm and zoo animals, and pets. Behavioral enrichment issues for these groups are more similar than dissimilar, and each group can learn from the other. The emphasis on overall enhancement for laboratory dogs and cats in this review includes an emphasis on behavioral enrichment. Understanding the range of behaviors, behavioral choices, and cognitive stimulation that cats and dogs exhibit under non-laboratory conditions can increase the ability of investigators to predict which enrichments are likely to be the most successful in the laboratory. Many of the enrichment strategies described are surprisingly straightforward and inexpensive to implement.

Animal Husbandry↗
PubMed2004

Paradigms for pharmacologic use as a treatment component in feline behavioral medicine.

Veterinary behavioral medicine remains an under-supported, under-appreciated, and under-taught specialty within veterinary medicine. Neuropsychopharmacology is the aspect that has provided the field with the most scientific legitimacy, but is also one of the most hotly debated. Paradigms for use of pharmacologic intervention include firstly ruling out any underlying medical cause. If a behavioral diagnosis can be made, treatment with psychotropic medication may be considered, although their use is most effective as part of an integrated treatment program that includes behavior modification. Used without an understanding of the mechanism of action, pharmacologic intervention may only blunt or mask behavior without altering processes or environments that produced the behavior. This paper reviews specific drugs, mechanism of action of those drugs, and relevant uses are reviewed for cats. Future advances in treatment in veterinary behavioral medicine will be pharmacological and neurophysiological. As the field of veterinary behavioral medicine expands, its paradigm will enlarge to include routine combination therapy and the implementation of neuropharmacological intervention as a diagnostic tool.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Medical differentials with potential behavioral manifestations.

Boundaries between behavioral conditions and medical differentials are likely to blur more rather than less as we learn more about genomic, cellular, and subcellular effects on common conditions. These changes should lead to better treatment but may also require a paradigm shift in how we view behavioral conditions and the mechanisms that contribute to them.

Aggression↗
PubMed2002

Clinical features and outcome in dogs and cats with obsessive-compulsive disorder: 126 cases (1989-2000).

OBJECTIVE: To determine clinical features and outcome in dogs and cats with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). DESIGN: Retrospective study. ANIMALS: 103 dogs and 23 cats. PROCEDURES: Records of patients with OCD were analyzed for clinical features, medication used, extent of behavior modification, and outcome. RESULTS: Most dogs affected with OCD had been obtained from breeders. Male dogs significantly outnumbered females (2:1). Female cats outnumbered male cats by 2:1 in a small sample. Most affected dogs lived in households with 2 or more humans and other dogs or cats, and had some formal training. Client compliance with behavior modification was high. A combination of behavior modification and medication resulted in a large decrease in intensity and frequency of OCD in most animals. Clomipramine was significantly more efficacious for treatment in dogs than was amitriptyline. Only 1 dog and 1 cat were euthanatized because of OCD during the study. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: OCD in dogs does not appear to be associated with lack of training, lack of household stimulation, or social confinement. In cats, OCD may be associated with environmental and social stress. Obsessive-compulsive disorder appears at the time of social maturity and may have sporadic and heritable forms. With appropriate treatment (consistent behavior modification and treatment with clomipramine), frequency and intensity of clinical signs in most dogs and cats may decrease by > 50%. Success appears to depend on client understanding and compliance and the reasonable expectation that OCD cannot be cured, but can be well controlled.

Age of Onset↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Diagnosis of rapid eye movement sleep disorder with electroencephalography and treatment with tricyclic antidepressants in a dog.

A 9-month-old, female Labrador retriever mix was presented for two types of seizure-like episodes, one of which occurred only during sleep. The two types of episodes were morphologically distinct. An electroencephalogram (EEG) demonstrated that the sleep-associated episodes occurred during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, supporting a diagnosis of a REM behavior disorder. Based on their morphology and response to antiseizure medications, the waking episodes were diagnosed as seizures. The animal was also diagnosed with an obsessive-compulsive and generalized anxiety disorder. The REM behavior disorder and anxiety-related behaviors improved with tricyclic antidepressant therapy.

Animals↗