Medium-chain triglycerides dietary supplement improves cognitive abilities in canine epilepsy

Andreas Berk, B; Packer, R M A; Hong Law, T; Wessmann, A; Bathen-Nöthen, A; Jokinen, T S; Knebel, A; Tipold, A; Pelligand, L; Volk, H A

Abstract

Objective: Cognitive impairments (CI) have recently been identified in canine epilepsy patients. A medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) enriched diet has been demonstrated to improve cognition in aged dogs and seizure control in canine epilepsy. This study evaluates the short-term effects of MCT oil consumption on cognitive abilities in dogs with epilepsy, a naturally occurring animal model.

Methods: A 6-month multi-center, prospective, randomized, double-blinded, controlled cross-over diet trial was conducted comparing dietary supplementation (DS) of MCT-oil to a control oil. Allocation to dietary oil supplements, consisting of 9% total caloric intake, was block-randomized and supplemented into each dogs’ diet for three months followed by a respective switch of DS oil for a further three months. Non-invasive cognitive tests and a validated psychometric tool were utilized to evaluate cognitive function and perturbations associated with dietary intervention.

Results: Twenty-nine dogs completed the trial, of which 18 completed non-invasive cognitive testing. Spatial-working memory (p=0.008), problem-solving ability (p=0.048) and owner-reported trainability (p=0.041) were significantly improved during MCT-oil supplementation compared to control-DS.

Significance: MCT-oil DS improves cognition in dogs with epilepsy when compared to a control-DS. MCT supplementation may represent a promising option to address CI associated with epilepsy.

Citation

Andreas Berk, B., Packer, R. M. A., Hong Law, T., Wessmann, A., Bathen-Nöthen, A., Jokinen, T. S., …Volk, H. A. (in press). Medium-chain triglycerides dietary supplement improves cognitive abilities in canine epilepsy. Epilepsy & Behavior, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yebeh.2020.107608

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 29, 2020
• Online Publication Date: Nov 30, 2020
• Deposit Date: Nov 5, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Dec 1, 2021
• Journal: Epilepsy & Behavior
• Print ISSN: 1525-5050
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yebeh.2020.107608
• Public URL: https://rvc-repository.worktribe.com/output/1374966