Dual sensory impairments in companion dogs: Prevalence and relationship to cognitive impairment.

Purpose: Many older dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) develop cognitive impairment. Dog owners often describe impairments in multiple sensory functions, yet the relationships between sensory and cognitive function in older dogs is not well understood.

Methods: We performed assessments of dog vision and hearing, both clinically (n = 91, electroretinography and brainstem auditory evoked potential) and via validated questionnaire (n = 238).

Digital quantification of neurite outgrowth and retraction by phase-contrast microscopy: A tau perspective.

The proper organization and function of the mammalian nervous system relies on neuronal processes or "neurites," extended morphological projections that include axons and dendrites. Tau is a structural microtubule-associated protein that is widely expressed in the nervous system that mediates the establishment of cell polarity, neurite outgrowth, and axonal transport. A useful model for studying the establishment and maintenance of these neuronal structures are rat neuronal PC12 cells, which can be induced to express tau and project neurites by treating the cells with nerve growth factor.