Introduction

During the process of senescence, it is known that in humans and canines there is the occurrence of cerebral atrophy, which is characterized by ventricular dilatation.

Objectives

The aim of this study was to identify whether the cerebral ventricles of healthy domestic cats expand with increasing age.

Methods

Brain MRI studies were obtained from 12 adult (1–6 years), 11 mature (7–11 years) and 10 geriatric (12 years of age or older) non-brachycephalic cats. The volume of the ventricular structures were measured manually on transverse T1-weighted images. The percentage of the total ventricular volume in relation to intracranial volume was calculated (total ventricular volume x 100/intracranial volume). Statistical analysis was performed using ANOVA and Tamhane's test (p<0.05).

Results

The average percentages of the total ventricular volume in relation to intracranial volume obtained in adult, mature and geriatric cats were 0.16%±0.07%, 0.30%±0.22% and 0.47%±0.21%, respectively. The average value found in the group of the geriatric animals was significantly higher than that obtained in the adult group (p=0.001), indicating the occurrence of ventricular dilatation in cats with advancing age. An increase in the ventricular percentage of 0.18% was identified between adult and mature cats and 0.11% between mature and geriatric animals, suggesting the occurrence of acceleration in the rate of ventricular expansion in early stages.

Conclusions

The results of this study demonstrate that the cerebral ventricles of cats expand with increasing age.