Journal Scan: High-frequency sounds can lead to seizures in some older cats

期刊扫描：高频声音会导致一些老年猫抽搐发作

July 29, 2015

Avi Blake, DVM

原文网址

https://www.dvm360.com/view/journal-scan-high-frequency-sounds-can-lead-seizures-some-older-cats

Why they did it

他们为什么做这个研究

Researchers in the United Kingdom, aware of the occurrence of seizures induced in cats exposed to sounds at certain frequencies, sought to characterize feline audiogenic reflex seizures (FARS) in order to provide veterinarians a description of this previously unreported syndrome.

英国的研究人员意识到暴露于特定频率声音的猫会引起抽搐发作，他们试图描述猫的听源性反射性抽搐发作(FARS)的特征，以便为兽医提供这种以前未报道的综合征的描述。

What they did it

他们做了什么

Cases of suspected FARS were solicited from primary veterinarians and owners through print media, the Internet and the radio. Cat pedigrees, medical histories and cheek swab DNA samples were collected. A detailed online questionnaire was made available to those owners whose cats met the inclusion criteria after an email or a telephone interview. A full medical history and, in many cases, video recordings of episodes were also reviewed.

通过印刷媒体、互联网和广播向初级兽医和宠主征集疑似FARS病例。

收集了猫的血统、病史和口腔拭子DNA样本。

通过电子邮件或电话采访，符合入选标准的猫的主人可以获得一份详细的在线调查问卷。

还审查了完整的病史，在许多情况下，还审查了发作的录像视频。

The questionnaire contained several sections collecting information on signalment, precipitating factors, the cat's overall health and any relevant therapies or medications. It also asked for detailed descriptions of the episodes. The questionnaire was designed to avoid leading owners to make conclusions or to provide “expected answers.”

调查问卷包含多个部分，
收集有关动物特征、诱发因素、猫的整体健康状况以及任何相关疗法或药物的信息。

它还要求提供发作时的详细描述。

问卷的设计是为了避免引导宠主得出结论或提供“预期答案”。

For inclusion in the study, the cats had to have suffered three or more generalized tonic-clonic seizures (GTCSs) precipitated by the same sound and lasting less than five minutes for a minimum one-year history. Other types of episodes such as myoclonic seizures or jerks and absence seizures were described separately on the questionnaire. A total of 96 cats met the criteria and were included in the study.

为了纳入研究，
猫必须曾经经历过三次或更多次的全身性强直阵挛发作(GTCS)，
由相同的声音引起，持续时间少于5分钟，至少一年时期内。

其他类型的发作如肌阵挛性发作或抽搐和失神性发作分别在问卷上描述。

共有96例猫符合标准并被纳入研究。

What they found

他们发现了什么

The mean age for seizure onset in this cohort was 15, with a fairly even distribution of males and females. Many breeds were represented, but Birman cats were most common (n=30). The noise stimulus for all cats was high-pitched, and audiogenic kindling-repeated sound stimulation resulting in progression from myoclonic seizures to GTCS-was observed in most of the subjects. The seizure episodes occurred an average of once every three to six months, and of the cats in which diagnostics were pursued, no cause for the seizures was found.

该队列中抽搐发作起病的平均年龄为15岁，雄性和雌性的分布相当均匀。

许多品种都好发，但伯曼猫（Birman cats）是最常见的（n=30)。

所有猫的噪音刺激都是高音调的，
并且在大多数受试者中观察到听源性点燃-重复的声音刺激导致从肌阵挛性抽搐发作到GTCS的演变。

抽搐发作平均每三到六个月发生一次，
在进行过诊断的猫中，没有发现抽搐发作的原因。

Some of the more common sounds that induced FARS episodes in affected cats were

在受影响的猫中引起FARS偶发性发作的一些更常见的声音是

• Crinkling tin foil (n=82)

  起皱锡纸的声音 (n=82)

• Dropping a metal spoon into a ceramic bowl (n=79)

  将金属勺子掉入陶瓷碗中的声音 (n=79)

• Clinking or tapping a glass (n=72)

  碰杯或轻敲杯子 (n=72)

• Crinkling paper or plastic bags (n=71)

  起皱的纸或塑料袋的声音 (n=71)

• Typing on a computer keyboard or clicking a mouse (n=61)

  在电脑键盘上打字或点击鼠标的声音 (n=61)

Many of the cats had concurrent disease, the most common being chronic renal disease and hyperthyroidism. None of the cats included in the study demonstrated progression of the seizure disorder. Interestingly, 50% of the cats were described as having hearing loss or deafness. Forty-four cats received antiseizure medication-phenobarbital or levetiracetam-to control their seizures, but only levetiracetam resulted in good control of both the myoclonic seizures and GTCSs.

许多猫同时患有疾病，最常见的是慢性肾病和甲状腺功能亢进。

研究中没有一例猫表现出抽搐发作性疾病的渐进性发展。

有趣的是，50%的猫被描述存在听力丧失或耳聋。

44例猫服用了抗癫痫药物——苯巴比妥或左乙拉西坦来控制它们的抽搐发作，但只有左乙拉西坦对肌阵挛性抽搐发作和GTCS都有很好的控制。

Take-home message

要点

FARS is newly defined nonprogressive clinical syndrome affecting geriatric cats characterized by myoclonic seizures and GTCSs triggered by high-pitched sounds, often with persistence of the sound serving to increase the severity of the seizure episode. Levetiracetam appears to be more effective than phenobarbital in controlling both the myoclonic seizures and GTCSs associated with FARS. Birman cats were overrepresented in this study, suggesting a breed predilection and genetic basis for the disorder. Hearing loss or deafness reported in many of these cats may not indicate damage to the area of the cochlea associated with higher frequency hearing, providing an explanation for how FARS occurs in cats with apparent hearing impairment or deafness.

FARS是一种新定义的影响老年猫的非渐进性临床综合征，
其特征是由高音调声音引发的肌阵挛性抽搐发作和GTCS，
通常持续的声音会增加抽搐发作的严重程度。

在控制与FARS相关的肌阵挛性发作和GTCS方面， 左乙拉西坦似乎比苯巴比妥更有效。

在这项研究中，伯曼猫的比例过高，这表明了这种疾病的品种偏好和遗传基础。

其中许多猫的听力损失或耳聋可能并不表明与高频听力相关的耳蜗区域受损，
这就解释了FARS是如何发生在有明显听力障碍或耳聋的猫身上的。

Lowrie M, Bessant C, Harey RJ, et al. Audiogenic reflex seizures in cats. J Feline Med Surg 2015;epub ahead of print.

Link to abstract: 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25916687

END