Clinical characteristics and mode of inheritance of familial focal seizures in Standard Poodles

Barbara G. Licht Department of Psychology, Office of the Vice President for Research, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306

Search for other papers by Barbara G. Licht in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
 PhD
,
Shili Lin Department of Statistics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210

Search for other papers by Shili Lin in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
 PhD
,
Yuqun Luo College of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, and Center for Biostatistics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210

Search for other papers by Yuqun Luo in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
 PhD
,
Linda L. Hyson Department of Psychology, Office of the Vice President for Research, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306

Search for other papers by Linda L. Hyson in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
 BA
,
Mark H. Licht Department of Psychology, Office of the Vice President for Research, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306

Search for other papers by Mark H. Licht in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
 PhD
,
Kathleen M. Harper College of Arts and Sciences, and the Department of Laboratory Animal Resources, Office of the Vice President for Research, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306

Search for other papers by Kathleen M. Harper in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
 DVM, PhD
,
Stacey A. Sullivan Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27606

Search for other papers by Stacey A. Sullivan in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
 DVM, DACVIM
,
Soledad A. Fernandez Department of Statistics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210

Search for other papers by Soledad A. Fernandez in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
 PhD
, and
Eric V. Johnston MMI Genomics Inc, 1756 Picasso Ave, Davis, CA 95618

Search for other papers by Eric V. Johnston in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
 MS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.231.10.1520
Volume/Issue:
Volume 231: Issue 10
Online Publication Date:
15 Nov 2007
Restricted access
Sign In Reprints and Permissions Purchase Article

Abstract

Objective—To determine clinical characteristics and mode of inheritance of seizures in a family of Standard Poodles.

Design—Case series.

Animals—90 Standard Poodles descended from the same maternal bloodline (30 with probable idiopathic epilepsy [PIE] and 60 without any history of seizures).

Procedures—Researchers contacted owners to determine whether dogs had ever had any seizures and, if so, the nature of any such seizures and any potential underlying causes. Dogs were considered to have PIE if they were between 6 months and 7.5 years old at the time of seizure onset and had no evidence of any underlying cause. To determine the mode of inheritance, segregation analyses were designed to allow the family to be analyzed as a whole, as opposed to as nuclear families. Competing models of inheritance were compared statistically for their ability to explain the data.

Results—Of the dogs with PIE, 28 (93%) had focal onset seizures with or without secondary generalization. Median age of onset was 3.7 years; 6 dogs were > 5 years old at the onset of seizures. Segregation analyses strongly suggested that PIE was inherited as a simple recessive autosomal trait with complete or almost complete penetrance.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Results suggested that in this family of Standard Poodles, PIE was inherited as a simple recessive autosomal trait with complete or almost complete penetrance. Seizures often had focal, as opposed to generalized, onsets, and it was not uncommon for seizures to begin after 5 years of age.

Abstract

Objective—To determine clinical characteristics and mode of inheritance of seizures in a family of Standard Poodles.

Design—Case series.

Animals—90 Standard Poodles descended from the same maternal bloodline (30 with probable idiopathic epilepsy [PIE] and 60 without any history of seizures).

Procedures—Researchers contacted owners to determine whether dogs had ever had any seizures and, if so, the nature of any such seizures and any potential underlying causes. Dogs were considered to have PIE if they were between 6 months and 7.5 years old at the time of seizure onset and had no evidence of any underlying cause. To determine the mode of inheritance, segregation analyses were designed to allow the family to be analyzed as a whole, as opposed to as nuclear families. Competing models of inheritance were compared statistically for their ability to explain the data.

Results—Of the dogs with PIE, 28 (93%) had focal onset seizures with or without secondary generalization. Median age of onset was 3.7 years; 6 dogs were > 5 years old at the onset of seizures. Segregation analyses strongly suggested that PIE was inherited as a simple recessive autosomal trait with complete or almost complete penetrance.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Results suggested that in this family of Standard Poodles, PIE was inherited as a simple recessive autosomal trait with complete or almost complete penetrance. Seizures often had focal, as opposed to generalized, onsets, and it was not uncommon for seizures to begin after 5 years of age.

Contributor Notes

Dr. Luo's present address is the Division of Genetic and Molecular Epidemiology, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106.

Dr. Sullivan's present address is the Animal Specialty Group, 4641 Colorado Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90039.

Dr. Fernandez's present address is the Division of Biostatistics, College of Public Health, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210.

Supported by the Florida State University Albrecht Epilepsy Research Fund; Versatility in Poodles Incorporated; grant No. 1407 from the Poodle Club of America and AKC Canine Health Foundation Incorporated; and private donations. The contents of this manuscript are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of any funding group.

Presented in part as a poster at the Annual Meeting of the American Epilepsy Society, Boston, December 2003.

Address correspondence to Dr. Barbara Licht.
Cover Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
Publication Date:
15 Nov 2007
  • 1.

    Berendt M. Epilepsy. In: Vite CH, ed. Braund's clinical neurology in small animals: localization, diagnosis and treatment. Document No. A3230.0704. Ithaca: International Veterinary Information Service, 2004.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 2.

    Chandler K. Canine epilepsy: what can we learn from human seizure disorders? Vet J 2006;172:207–217.

  • 3.

    Podell M, Fenner WR, Powers JD. Seizure classification in dogs from a nonreferral-based population. J Am Vet Med Assoc 1995;206:1721–1728.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 4.

    Podell M. Seizures. In: Platt S, Olby N, eds. BSAVA manual of canine and feline neurology. 3rd ed. Oxford, England: Blackwell Publishers, 2004;97–112.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 5.

    Thomas WB. Idiopathic epilepsy in dogs. Vet Clin North Am Small Anim Pract 2000;30:183–206.

  • 6.

    Famula TR, Oberbauer AM. Segregation analysis of epilepsy in the Belgian Tervuren dog. Vet Rec 2000;147:218–221.

  • 7.

    Hall SJ, Wallace ME. Canine epilepsy: a genetic counselling programme for keeshonds. Vet Rec 1996;138:358–360.

  • 8.

    Jaggy A, Faissler D & Gaillard C, et al. Genetic aspects of idiopathic epilepsy in Labrador Retrievers. J Small Anim Pract 1998;39:275–280.

  • 9.

    Kathmann I, Jaggy A & Busato A, et al. Clinical and genetic investigations of idiopathic epilepsy in the Bernese Mountain Dog. J Small Anim Pract 1999;40:319–325.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 10.

    Patterson EE, Mickelson JR & Da Y, et al. Clinical characteristics and inheritance of idiopathic epilepsy in Vizslas. J Vet Intern Med 2003;17:319–325.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 11.

    Casal ML, Munuve RM & Janis MA, et al. Epilepsy in Irish Wolfhounds. J Vet Intern Med 2006;20:131–135.

  • 12.

    Engel J Jr. A proposed diagnostic scheme for people with epileptic seizures and with epilepsy: report of the ILAE Task Force on Classification and Terminology. Epilepsia 2001;42:796–803.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 13.

    Bielfelt SW, Redman HC, McClellan RO. Sireand sex-related differences in rates of epileptiform seizures in a purebred Beagle dog colony. Am J Vet Res 1971;32:2039–2048.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 14.

    Famula TR, Oberbauer AM, Brown KN. Heritability of epileptic seizures in the Belgian Tervuren. J Small Anim Pract 1997;38:349–352.

  • 15.

    Nielen AL, Janss LL, Knol BW. Heritability estimations for diseases, coat color, body weight, and height in a birth cohort of Boxers. Am J Vet Res 2001;62:1198–1206.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 16.

    Falco MJ, Barker J, Wallace ME. The genetics of epilepsy in the British Alsatian. J Small Anim Pract 1974;15:685–692.

  • 17.

    Patterson EE, Armstrong PJ & O'Brien DP, et al. Clinical description and mode of inheritance of idiopathic epilepsy in English Springer Spaniels. J Am Vet Med Assoc 2005;226:54–58.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 18.

    Srenk P, Jaggy A & Gaillard C, et al. Genetic basis of idiopathic epilepsy in the Golden Retriever [in German]. Tierarztl Prax 1994;22:574–578.

  • 19.

    Famula TR, Oberbauer AM. Reducing the incidence of epileptic seizures in the Belgian Tervuren through selection. Prev Vet Med 1998;33:251–259.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 20.

    Padgett GA. Control of canine genetic diseases. New York: Howell Book House, 1998.

  • 21.

    Lander ES, Schork NJ. Genetic dissection of complex traits. Science 1994;265:2037–2046.

  • 22.

    Lopes-Cendes I, Scheffer IE & Berkovic SF, et al. A new locus for generalized epilepsy with febrile seizures plus maps to chromosome 2. Am J Hum Genet 2000;66:698–701.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 23.

    Berendt M, Gram L. Epilepsy and seizure classification in 63 dogs: a reappraisal of veterinary epilepsy terminology. J Vet Intern Med 1999;13:14–20.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 24.

    Berendt M, Gredal H, Alving J. Characteristics and phenomenology of epileptic partial seizures in dogs: similarities with human seizure semiology. Epilepsy Res 2004;61:167–173.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 25.

    Licht BG, Licht MH & Harper KM, et al. Clinical presentations of naturally occurring canine seizures: similarities to human seizures. Epilepsy Behav 2002;3:460–470.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 26.

    Winawer MR. Phenotype definition in epilepsy. Epilepsy Behav 2006;8:462–476.

  • 27.

    Steinlein OK. Genetic mechanisms that underlie epilepsy. Nat Rev Neurosci 2004;5:400–408.

  • 28.

    Gourfinkel-An I, Baulac S & Nabbout R, et al. Monogenic idiopathic epilepsies. Lancet Neurol 2004;3:209–218.

  • 29.

    Commission on Classification and Terminology of the International League Against Epilepsy. Proposal for revised clinical and electroencephalographic classification of epileptic seizures. Epilepsia 1981;22:489–501.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 30.

    Dempster A, Laird N, Rubin D. Maximum likelihood from incomplete data via the EM algorithm. J R Statist Soc B 1977;39:1–38.

  • 31.

    Lehmann EL. Testing statistical hypotheses. 2nd ed. New York: Springer, 1997.

  • 32.

    Maihara T, Noda A & Yamazoe H, et al. Chromosomal mapping of genes for epilepsy in NER: a rat strain with tonic-clonic seizures. Epilepsia 2000;41:941–949.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 33.

    Skradski SL, White HS, Ptacek LJ. Genetic mapping of a locus (mass1) causing audiogenic seizures in mice. Genomics 1998;49:188–192.

  • 34.

    Tsubota Y, Miyashita E & Miyajima M, et al. The Wakayama Epileptic Rat (WER), a new mutant exhibiting tonic-clonic seizures and absence-like seizures. Exp Anim 2003;52:53–62.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 35.

    Browne TR, Holmes GL. Handbook of epilepsy. 3rd ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2004.

  • 36.

    Jaggy A, Bernardini M. Idiopathic epilepsy in 125 dogs: a longterm study. Clinical and electroencephalographic findings. J Small Anim Pract 1998;39:23–29.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 37.

    Pellegrino FC, Sica RE. Canine electroencephalographic recording technique: findings in normal and epileptic dogs. Clin Neurophysiol 2004;115:477–487.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 38.

    Srenk P, Jaggy A. Interictal electroencephalographic findings in a family of Golden Retrievers with idiopathic epilepsy. J Small Anim Pract 1996;37:317–321.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 39.

    Viitmaa R, Cizinauskas S & Bergamasco LA, et al. Magnetic resonance imaging findings in Finnish Spitz dogs with focal epilepsy. J Vet Intern Med 2006;20:305–310.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation

Advertisement