Aktuelle Forschungsprojekte

The improvement of MRI based diagnostic imaging of the brain in companion (mainly dogs and cats) and farm animals are a major research focus of the group. In collaboration with veterinary neuropathology (Prof. Anna Oevermann) MRI findings are directly compared to histopathology of brain biopsies or post mortem histopathology of the brain to improve sensitivity and specificity of lesion detection and characterisation and assess the diagnostic value of selected imaging sequences. The initial trigger of the research projects included in this thesis was the idea to establish an MRI atlas of intracranial pathologies of animals, based on a direct comparison of MRI to histopathology. The atlas is nowadays available as an open source for veterinary radiologists, neurologists, pathologists and practitioners, and under constant development.

Embedded into the Listeriosis research group, metabolic profiling of brain biopsies from small ruminants as a model for a neuroinfectious disease is performed in close collaboration with the AMSM (Prof. Peter Vermathen) using HR-MAS NMR spectroscopy directly comparing metabolic alterations to histopathology and MR imaging findings.

Research on spinal cord injury relies mostly on experimental animal models with rats being the most frequently used species. A main problem is that such models involve highly invasive manipulations. We investigate this entity in spontaneously occurring intervertebral disc disease cases in dogs. This disease is a very frequent neurological problem in dogs, which occurs predominantly in the thoracolumbar area of chondrodystrophic breeds. Most research on canine intervertebral disc disease has revolved around diagnostic and surgical issues within the strict veterinary context. This disease has so far only been used to a very limited extent in pathophysiological and treatment studies with a wider comparative and translational context. The novel approach of our group is the use of this spontaneous model for pathogenesis research by correlating data from various sources and the application of examination techniques that have not been used before in the context of veterinary spinal cord trauma.

Einfluss der Miniaturisierung auf das Gehirn

Zwerghunde haben häufig vergrösserte Gehirnwasserräume, Wasseransammlungen im Rückenmark mit Veränderungen am Schädel und Kopf/Hals-Übergang.

Zukünftig möchten wir Merkmale identifizieren, die die Zucht von gesunden kleinen Hunderassen fördert.

Die Abteilung Klinische Radiologie der Vetsuisse-Fakultät Universität Bern untersucht den Einfluss der Kopfgrösse und Kopfform auf Abflussstörungen des Gehirnwassers. Die wissenschaftlichen Untersuchungen umfassen klinische, neurologische und orthopädische Untersuchungen, Ganganalyse, sowie bildgebende Untersuchungen mittels Magnetresonanztomographie (MRT), Computertomographie (CT) und Ultraschall.

Ein besonderer Schwerpunkt der Studie liegt auf Hunden verschiedener Spitzrassen und Spitzvarietäten. Aufgrund ihrer grossen Variation hinsichtlich Körpergrösse und Schädelform sind diese Hunde für die Untersuchung besonders wertvoll.

Aktueller Stand der Studie:

Die aktive Rekrutierung von Hunden ist derzeit abgeschlossen. Wir sind aktuell nicht mehr auf der Suche nach weiteren Studienteilnehmenden.

Wir bedanken uns herzlich bei allen Hundebesitzerinnen und Hundebesitzern, die mit ihren Hunden an der Studie teilgenommen und damit einen wertvollen Beitrag zu unserer Forschungsarbeit geleistet haben.

Acute and chronic disc disease and spondylomyelopathies are a major cause of neurologic disorders in dogs of large and small breeds. Toy breed dogs are predisposed to congenital malformations of the craniovertebral junction. Both disease entities can lead to instability of the spine and prevent recovery. We are aiming at the development of novel surgical implants suitable for the atlantoaxial transition, the cervical and thoracolumbar spine adapted to the variable body weight of toy to large breed dogs.