Untrained dogs are able to anticipate epileptic seizures in people
El Dr. Neil Powell, investigador principal del estudio, con su perro Fern. Imagen cedida por Queen’s University Belfast.New research led by Queen's University of Belfast has shown that dogs can predict epileptic seizures, offering a warning signal to owners that it has the potential to save lives. Epileptic seizures are associated with a specific odor that is detectable by dogs. The study looked at the reaction of dogs to smells and found that dogs could predict when a seizure was imminent.
Epilepsy is a debilitating and life-threatening neurological condition that affects approximately 65 million people worldwide, of whom 30% (20 million) cannot control their seizures with medication. There is currently no simple and reliable early warning device for seizures, which means that many people with unstable epilepsy live in fear of injury or sudden death and the negative impact of social stigma.
Untrained domestic dogs can also have this ability.
As detailed in the study, published today in the journal MDPI Animals, there have been anecdotal accounts of domestic dogs predicting their owners' epileptic seizures by being vigilant and demonstrating attention-seeking behaviors, but to date no scientific study has investigated the veracity of these statements. Lead Investigator Dr Neil Powell, Queen's University School of Biological Sciences, Belfast, notes: “We hypothesized that, given the extraordinary sense of smell in dogs, a volatile organic compound exhaled by the owner Dog epilepticus can provide an early warning trigger mechanism that causes dogs to react before the seizure occurs. The results have shown that domestic dogs are a reliable source for detecting a seizure. "
The researchers explored how a group of 19 companion dogs with no prior experience in seizure detection reacted to the onset of odors associated with these episodes using sweat extracted from people with epilepsy. Through the special design of a device called the Remote Odor Delivery Mechanism (RODM), the researchers separately released odors associated with epileptic seizures and odors not associated with seizures and recorded the dogs' reactions separately. . They found that all 19 dogs demonstrated more affiliative behavior changes when faced with seizure-associated odors, compared to their response to control odors.
Dr. Powell adds: “Our findings clearly show that all dogs reacted to the odor associated with seizures, whether it was by making eye contact with their owner, touching him, crying or barking. There is a unique volatile odor associated with epileptic seizures, detectable by dogs which, in turn, can warn their owner that a seizure is likely to occur. Our research was based on untrained companion dogs. If we can train the dogs, this has the potential to make a big difference for owners experiencing unpredictable seizures and should go a long way toward improving not only their safety, but also their quality of life. "
The research was funded and conducted in association with Epilepsy Ireland and Disability Assistance Dogs.
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