Equine health encompasses the study and management of diseases, disorders, and overall well-being of horses. It involves understanding various physiological systems, preventive care, and treatment strategies to maintain optimal health in equine populations. Common areas of focus include nutrition, infectious diseases, orthopedic conditions, and reproductive health. Research in equine health aims to advance knowledge on diagnostic methods, therapeutic interventions, and management practices that improve horse welfare and performance. This page collects peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the diverse aspects of equine health, offering insights into current findings and advancements in the field.
Rivero JL, Henckel P.Biopsies were taken from three different depths of the gluteus medius muscle of 36 endurance horses aged between four and 17 years. Twenty of the horses were considered excellent performers according to their three fastest records in endurance events over the previous two or three years. The other 16 horses were moderate performers, with a mean racing speed < 3.5 ms-1 (in 120 to 180 km endurance rides), < 4.0 ms-1 (in 80 to 120 km endurance rides) or < 3.75 ms-1 (in 40 to 60 km endurance rides). The biopsy specimens were analysed for fibre type distribution (type I, IIA and IIB), fibr...
Delbeke FT.Urinary concentrations of the beta-antagonist oxprenolol and some of its major human metabolites were determined following oral administration of a dose of 160 mg to five fasted horses. Quantitation was performed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) in the selected ion mode (SIM) by monitoring ion m/z 466 of the heptafluorobutyric derivatives. As early as 2 h after dosage oxprenolol could be detected in hydrolysed urine and remained detectable up to 24 h. Maximum urinary concentrations and excretion rates were obtained between 2 and 12 h. After 12 h only 2.8% of the administered dos...
Kirberger RM, Gottschalk RD, Guthrie AJ.Twelve horses were injected intra-articularly into the metacarpophalangeal joint and extra-articularly in the region of the lateral palmar digital nerve with 1 ml air and local anaesthetic to simulate gas accidentally introduced during regional anaesthesia. Half the horses underwent limited exercise after which all horses were radiographed at 15 and 45 min and then every 24 h until all evidence of gas had disappeared. Intra-articular gas appeared as gas capped radiolucencies (GCR) in the proximal aspect of the joint. Extra-articular gas appeared as linear radiolucencies (LR) which initially te...
Mostert HJ, Lund RJ, Guthrie AJ, Cilliers PJ.A theoretical integrative model was developed to determine the heat balance of horses working in a given environment. This model included the following parameters: metabolic heat gain, solar heat gain, evaporative heat loss due to sweating, respiratory tract heat loss, radiation from the body and heat gain or loss due to convection and conduction. The model developed in this study includes an unique approach for estimating heat loss via evaporation of sweat from the animal's skin surface. Previous studies modelling evaporative heat dissipation were based on the volume of sweat loss. While it i...
Vullo V, Mastroianni CM, Lichtner M, Mengoni F, Chiappini E, D'Agostino C, Delia S.Thirty healthy blood donors, 15 workers from horse-breeding farms, 69 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-negative persons at risk for HIV infection, 125 HIV-infected subjects without Rhodococcus equi infection, and nine HIV-infected patients with Rhodococcus equi pneumonia were evaluated in order to detect serum antibodies to Rhodococcus equi precipitate-soluble antigen by an enzyme immunoassay (EIA). Whereas EIA values for healthy donors, horse farm workers, individuals at risk for HIV infection, and HIV-positive subjects without Rhodococcus equi infection were comparable, HIV-infected patien...
Williamson LH, Andrews FM, Maykuth PL, White SL, Green EM.Blood samples were collected 12-16 h before the Speed and Endurance test, immediately after steeplechase, midway through Phase C (4 km marker), at the end of Phase C and immediately after cross-country from 36 horses that completed a 3-day-event at the CCI* (n = 19) or CCI** (n = 17) level. Packed cell volume (PCV), plasma concentrations of sodium, potassium, chloride, ionized calcium, pH and lactate; and serum concentrations of total protein (TP), albumin, total calcium, alkaline phosphatase (AP), gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT), creatine kinase (CK), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), glucos...
Galey FD, Holstege DM, Plumlee KH, Tor E, Johnson B, Anderson ML, Blanchard PC, Brown F.Since mid-1989, 37 cases of oleander poisoning in livestock have been diagnosed at the California Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory System. The most frequent source for oleander exposure was plant clippings. Sudden death was the most common presenting complaint. Other signs reported included diarrhea, pulmonary edema, tachycardia, cardiac arrhythmias, colic, and lethargy. In the past, a presumptive diagnosis of oleander poisoning could be based only on matching clinical signs with evidence of consumption of oleander. A new 2 dimensional Thin-layer chromatography analysis of ingesta for oleandri...
Mair TS, Dyson SJ, Fraser JA, Edwards GB, Hillyer MH, Love S.The case records of 23 horses and one donkey affected by hypertrophic osteopathy (HO) (Marie's disease) were reviewed. All affected animals presented with limb swellings, which were bilaterally symmetrical and usually involved both fore- and hindlimbs. Associated signs included stiffness/lameness and weight loss. Radiological features included periosteal new bone formation over the diaphyses and metaphyses of affected bones. The metacarpal and metatarsal bones were most frequently affected. Articular surfaces remained free of disease. Seventeen animals were destroyed on humane grounds, 3 horse...
Edens LM, Crisman MV, Toth TE, Ahmed SA, Murray MJ.The objectives of this study were to: (1) develop a technique to analyze the in vitro cytotoxic activity of lymphocytes from adult horses against equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) infected allogenic equine dermal fibroblasts (EDF); (2) evaluate the ability of a 72-h in vitro incubation with interleukin-2 (IL-2) to enhance the lymphocytic cytolytic activity against EHV-1 infected EDF; (3) compare the cytotoxic activity of lymphocytes isolated from pregnant mares and non-pregnant mares against EHV-1 infected EDF; (4) ascertain if any correlations existed between the percent cytotoxicity and percentag...
Lassourd V, Gayrard V, Laroute V, Alvinerie M, Benard P, Courtot D, Toutain PL.The influence of a 56-km endurance exercise on cortisol kinetics and production rate was evaluated in six horses administered [3H]cortisol. Exercise resulted in an immediate two- to threefold increase in plasma cortisol, with values returning very rapidly to preexercise levels. During exercise, clearance and steady-state volume of distribution of total cortisol were greatly increased (338 +/- 95 vs. 137 +/- 34 ml.kg-1.h-1 for clearance and 359 +/- 82 vs. 229 +/- 18 ml/kg for volume of distribution), whereas the terminal half-life decreased significantly (0.97 +/- 0.16 vs. 1.55 +/- 0.33 h). The...
Schutzer WE, Kerby JL, Holtan DW.Trilostane, a competitive inhibitor of 3 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, was administered intravenously to pregnant mares (n = 3) between day 277 and day 282 of gestation to determine its effect on the progestin milieu. In addition, placental tissue from mares at mid-gestation (150-300 days) (n = 4) were exposed to either deuterium-labelled pregnenolone alone or deuterium-labelled pregnenolone and trilostane to examine the effect of trilostane on placental metabolism of pregnenolone. Blood samples were collected from indwelling jugular catheters at frequent intervals for 48 h after infusion...
McConaghy FF, Hodgson DR, Rose RJ, Hales JR.Radioactive microspheres were used to measure cardiac output and blood flow to most major tissues in 4 ponies at rest in thermoneutral (16 degrees C/60% RH) and mildly hot (41 degrees C/34% RH) environments. In response to heat stress there were increases in cardiac output (2-fold), respiratory frequency (5-fold), blood flow to the skin of the body (3-fold), and limbs (50%), respiratory muscles (2-fold) and the upper respiratory tract (3-fold). Ponies were able to maintain body temperature in the hot environment by increasing blood flow to the tissues involved in heat dissipation, while blood ...
Butnev VY, Gotschall RR, Baker VL, Moore WT, Gout PW, Bousfield GR.Glycosylated equine prolactin (G-ePRL) and nonglycosylated ePRL were purified to homogeneity from side fractions obtained during isolation of LH/FSH from horse pituitaries. Both PRL forms were isolated together in high yield by the isolation procedure used for glycosylated porcine PRL/(G-pPRL) and pPRL, involving acetone extraction/precipitation, NaCl and isoelectric precipitation, and gel filtration. Purification of G-ePRL required additional Con A chromatography. The N-terminal amino acid sequencing for 32 cycles of G-ePRL and ePRL resulted in sequences identical to the known primary structu...
Giguère S, Sweeney RW, Bélanger M.To investigate the pharmacokinetics of enrofloxacin in adult horses. Methods: 2-dose oral and i.v. cross-over trial followed by multiple oral doses. Methods: 8 clinically normal adult horses. Methods: Enrofloxacin was administered at dosages of 2.5 mg/kg of body weight to 4 horses and 5.0 mg/kg to 4 other horses. Each dose was given by the intragastric and i.v. routes, using a cross-over design. After the first intragastric dose, 5 additional doses were administered at 12-hour intervals. Enrofloxacin concentrations were measured in serum, synovial fluid, peritoneal fluid, urine, CSF, and endom...
Nagata K, Tsukita S, Tamura T, Sone N.A Helicobacter pylori membrane fraction oxidized yeast and equine cytochrome c, and N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine (TMPD). When ascorbate was used as reductant, the Vmax and apparent Km values were 612 nmol electron min-1 (mg protein)-1 and 14 microM for yeast, and 419 nmol electron min-1 (mg protein)-1 and 19 microM for equine cytochrome c, respectively. For TMPD oxidation, the Vmax and Km values were 640 nmol electron min-1 (mg protein)-1 and 182 microM, respectively. These oxidase activities showed a high affinity for oxygen. Inhibition of both cytochrome-c and TMPD oxidase activi...
Goubran Botros H, Gregoire C, Rabillon J, David B, Dandeu JP.Horse serum albumin is present in the near vicinity of the animal, while dog and cat serum albumins are very common allergens present in house dust. Human patients clinically defined as allergic to horse could react with horse serum albumin by means of IgE or IgG antibodies. Studies regarding the specificities of these antibodies by inhibition enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and depletion experiments have demonstrated that they are directed against dog serum albumin and cross-react not only with horse serum albumin but with other serum albumins from different origins. To investigate ...
Smith RK, Dyson SJ, Head MJ, Butson RJ.The ultrasonographic appearance of the equine triceps muscle of clinically normal horses, before and after general anaesthesia, was investigated and compared with 5 cases of post anaesthetic myopathy. The triceps muscle areas were examined bilaterally using a 7.5 MHz linear array probe in 2 different planes, with each limb both weightbearing and nonweightbearing. The triceps muscles of 4 unanaesthetised horses were scanned twice, 24 h apart. Six horses underwent general anaesthesia and were scanned pre-anaesthesia and at 1 and 24 h intervals after recovery. Blood samples were obtained in the u...
Benbarek H, Deby-Dupont G, Deby C, Caudron I, Mathy-Hartert M, Lamy M, Serteyn D.The activation of human polymorphonuclear leucocytes (the respiratory burst) can be studied by measuring their chemiluminescent response. This technique was adapted to equine leucocytes to investigate the effects of cell number, activator concentration, enhancers of chemiluminescence, pH, temperature and inhibitors. Leucocytes were isolated from citrated blood from healthy horses and chemiluminescence was measured with a Bio-Orbit luminometer sensitive to 900 nm light. The optimal cell density for the maximal chemiluminescent response ranged from 10(6) to 10(7) leucocytes 600 microliters-1. Ch...
Larsen M, Nansen P, Grøndahl C, Thamsborg SM, Grønvold J, Wolstrup J, Henriksen SA, Monrad J.A field trial was conducted to evaluate the potential of the nematode-destroying fungus Duddingtonia flagrans to control free-living stages of horse strongyles. In late Spring 2 groups of horses (yearlings) with mixed infections of strongyles were allowed to contaminate 2 equal-sized pastures. One of the groups (F) received a daily dose of D. flagrans mixed in a feed supplement, while the other (C) received a similar amount of supplement without fungus. During a 3-month contamination period strongyle egg counts in faeces and number of infective strongyle larvae harvested from faecal cultures w...
Valdés-Vázquez MA, McClure JR, Oliver JL, Ramirez S, Seahorn TL, Haynes PF.A sutured tenorrhaphy technique that incorporated an autologous tendon graft was compared mechanically and histologically with a sutured tenorrhaphy at 6, 12, and 24 weeks after repair. Tenorrhaphy was performed in the forelimb tendon of the deep digital flexor muscle and the graft was taken from the hindlimb tendon of the lateral digital extensor muscle; one forelimb site included the graft, whereas the other forelimb site was not grafted. Tenotomies were made immediately proximal to the insertion of the accessory ligament into the tendon of the deep digital flexor muscle. Grafted and nongraf...
Galbraith EA, McKellar QA.Flunixin was highly protein bound in the serum of dogs (92.2 per cent), goats (84.8 per cent) and horses (86.9 per cent). Meclofenamic acid was also highly protein bound, although there were larger differences between the extent of the binding in dogs (90.3 per cent), goats (84.7 per cent) and horses (99.8 per cent). Both flunixin and meclofenamic acid were potent inhibitors of the in vitro generation of thromboxane (Tx) B2 in blood. Flunixin inhibited the generation of TxB2 by 50 per cent of the maximum response (IC50) in dog, goat and horse blood at concentrations of 0.10, 0.02 and 0.04 micr...
Felix K, Ferrándiz R, Einarsson R, Dreborg S.Some patients who are allergic to horses have reported that they can tolerate certain breeds, and the presence of breed-specific allergens has been suggested. Breeders and patients with asthma have claimed that Bashkir horses are nonallergenic. We used sodium dodecylsulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting to determine IgE-binding profiles of extracts of dander obtained from horses of several breeds. We found considerable inter-breed and within-breed variation but no breed-specific allergens. Danders from all breeds investigated contained the most important allergens, and ...
Kydd JH, Hannant D, Mumford JA.This study characterised bronchoalveolar leucocytes collected by lavage from five susceptible and two immune ponies before and after nebulised aerosol infection with equid herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1). Leucocyte counts and lymphocyte phenotypic analyses were performed using either differential staining or an indirect immunofluorescence assay with monoclonal antibodies specific for equine (Eq) CD4, CD5, CD8 and B lymphocytes. After EHV-1 infection, significant changes developed: a transient neutrophilia occurred on Day 2, coincident with a reduction in macrophage numbers and an EqCD5+, EqCD4+ and EqCD...
The Journal of physiologyJune 15, 1996
Volume 493 ( Pt 3), Issue Pt 3 885-894 doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1996.sp021431
Ko WH, Chan HC, Chew SB, Wong PY.1. The ionic mechanism involved in Ca(2+)-stimulated electrolyte transport in cultured equine sweat gland epithelial cells was studied using the short-circuit current (ISC) technique. 2. Microscopy revealed that the cultured cells grown on Millipore filters formed polarized monolayers with tight junctions. Monolayers exhibited a mean transepithelial resistance of 333.9 +/- 40.4 omega cm2. 3. Ca(2+)-mobilizing agents, A23187 (1 microM) or thapsigargin (0.01-1 microM), stimulated ISC while forskolin exerted little effect on the ISC. 4. Replacement of external Cl- by gluconate significantly reduc...
Williams DO, Boatwright RB, Rugh KS, Ross CR, Sarazan RD, Garner HE, Griggs DM.Adult-grade ponies were surgically instrumented with a Doppler flow probe and pneumatic cuff occluder on the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD), sonomicrometry crystals and intraventricular micromanometer in the left ventricle, and catheters in the left atrium, anterior interventricular vein, and, in some animals, the LAD. Conscious-animal studies were begun 2 wk after surgery. Measured variables included regional left ventricular systolic function, end-diastolic wall thickness, oxygen extraction, lactate extraction, and hydrogen ion release. Changes in collateral perfusion were de...
Clarke CJ, Roeder PL, Dixon PM.A severe, advanced case of nutritional osteodystrophia fibrosa is described in a 10-year-old gelding with primary upper respiratory obstruction and chronic weight loss, which was one of a group of similarly affected horses in Ethiopia. The diagnosis was based on the clinical signs, gross lesions, histopathology and management history. The affected bones had suffered severe mineral depletion.
Firth EC, Hodge H.The possible relationship between physeal diseases and physeal form prompted investigation of change in steepness of the physis in young foals. The distal and proximal aspects of the longbones were sawn sagittally in the right and frontally in the left bones. The slabs were washed to remove saw debris, arranged in order and inspected. The proximal physes had a flat or gently arched form, without obvious inclination. In the distal physes there were distinct inclinations. Inspection of an identical slab from the medial aspect of the distal radius of two series of foals of different breeds showed...
Slocombe JO, Rendano VT, Owen RR, Pennock PW, McCraw BM.Radiographs of the aorta and abdominal arteries were obtained from a normal anesthetized pony following catheterization of a femoral artery for nonselective, semiselective or selective arteriography. The arteries had smooth borders and regular diameters and the branches of the cranial mesenteric artery could be followed distally on the angiogram through to the smaller branches proximal to the bowel wall. Following arteriography, the pony walked normally and there were minimal alterations of the levels of serum muscle enzymes and blood lactate. The procedures for arteriography were repeated in ...
Meuten DJ, Kociba G, Threlfall WR, Nogode LA.Serum alkaline phosphatase was measured in ten mares during various stages of gestation. No significant change in serum alkaline phosphatase activity was detected during pregnancy. These data suggest that interpretation of serum alkaline phosphatase in horses can be made independently of their pregnancy status.
Tong T, Bai Y, Liu G, Wang Q, Zhang W, Xiao Y, Xu S, Liu N, Yang T, Wu D.IL-18 is a cytokine originally discovered as an important modulator of immune responses and subsequently shown to be pleiotropic. In this report, we expressed the recombinant equine mature interleukin-18 (rEMIL-18) in E. coli and purified it by nickel affinity gel column chromatography. Purified rEMIL-18 had biological activity commensurate with recombinant human IL-18, as determined by its synergistic effect with recombinant human IL-12 (rhIL-12) on the induction of IFN-gamma gene expression in equine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). Following intraperitoneal (i.p.) immunization of ...
Han X, Zou J, Wang X, Guo W, Huo G, Shen R, Xiang W.The Chinese EIAV vaccine is an attenuated live-virus vaccine obtained by serial passage of a virulent horse isolate (EIAV(L)) in donkeys (EIAV(D)), and subsequently in donkey cells in vitro. In this study, we compare the env gene of the original horse virulent virus (EIAV(L)) with attenuated strains serially passaged in donkey MDM (EIAV(DLV)), and donkey dermal cells (EIAV(FDDV)). Genetic comparisons among parental and attenuated strains found that vaccine strains contained amino acid substitutions/deletions in gp90 that resulted in a loss of three potential N-linked glycosylation sites, desig...
Smith BP.Salmonellosis in horses may result in fever, anorexia, and depression without concurrent diarrhea or other obvious gastrointestinal abnormalities and should be considered in cases of fever of unknown origin. The syndrome also is characterized by neutropenia, usually with a left shift, and growth of small numbers of salmonella from feces cultured in selenite enrichment broth. Repeated culturing may be necessary to isolate the organism. All six affected horses of this report recovered in 3 to 7 days without specific therapy.
Peli A, Scagliarini L, Calbucci S, Diegoli G.The increasing awareness of animal welfare issues among consumers and the general public in the European Union has brought about the adoption of laws for the protection of production animals throughout the various steps of the food chain, from breeding to slaughter. Considering that horses may be kept for a variety of reasons, including as companion animals and as farm animals, protective legislation in Europe applies to this species only partially. In consistency with the areas of competence of the European Union, it is the purpose of the activity (be it economic/commercial or neither) and no...
Sterk S, Herbold H, Blokland M, van Rossum H, van Ginkel L, Stephany R.For a number of species it is known that nortestosterone, either the alpha- or beta-epimer, can be of endogenous origin. For goats and mares similar results have not yet been published. As a follow-up on the experiments with cattle, a large number of urine samples per animal were collected from pregnant goats, sheep and mares. These samples were analysed for the presence of alpha- and beta-nortestosterone and alpha-estradiol using GC-MS. The results show that in the goats and mares studied alpha-nortestosterone is present during pregnancy. In this study no alpha-nortestosterone could be demons...
Megid Gomaa NA, Köller G, Fritz Schusser G.To measure serum alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) activity in horses with acute intestinal obstruction and to determine the diagnostic and prognostic utility of this analyte. Methods: Prospective observational study. Methods: University Veterinary Hospital. Methods: Thirty healthy horses (control group) and 77 horses with acute intestinal obstruction, including 36 horses with nonstrangulating obstruction (23 with left ventral colon impaction and 13 with left dorsal displacement [G1], 22 with small intestinal strangulation [G2], and 19 with colon torsion [G3]). Methods: Serum ADH activity was assaye...
Farmerie TA, Abbud RA, Budworth PR, Clay CM, Keri RA, McDowell KJ, Wolfe MW, Nilson JH.The equine glycoprotein hormone alpha-subunit gene is expressed in both pituitary and placenta, unlike that of all other nonprimate mammals studied, in which expression is limited to pituitary. Previous studies of the 5'-flanking region of the equine alpha-subunit promoter have revealed unique characteristics as well as similarities with the human alpha-subunit promoter, which demonstrates a similar pattern of tissue-specific expression. We have cloned and sequenced the equine alpha-subunit gene and have used tissue culture systems and transgenic mice to characterize its expression. Unlike the...
Emmert BJ, Robison CI, Pritchard A, Nielsen BD.Digital radiographs are common for estimating bone mineral content (BMC) in horses with radiographic bone aluminum equivalents (RBAE). Processing algorithms are used to produce clearer images of digital radiographs in clinical settings, but this distorts RBAE. This study compared RBAE from digital radiographs to BMC from bone ash, and physical and digital morphology measurements. Digital radiographs were taken of six third metacarpals (MCIII) from equine cadavers with an aluminum step wedge penetrometer. A 2-cm transverse section of bone was digitally analyzed and excised from each MCIII. For ...
Held JP, Prater P, Toal RL, Blackford JT, McCracken M.A 7-year-old stallion with a history of abdominal pain after it fell was examined and found to have a swelling of the right testis and epididymis. Semen evaluation revealed an increase in secondary sperm abnormalities. The stallion was unilaterally castrated. The histologic diagnosis was sperm granuloma, with no evidence of infection. Periductal fibrosis was observed and appeared to have developed before the trauma occurred. The changes seen could be compatible with chronic blockade of efferent ductules, resulting in extravasation of spermatozoa.
Weber JA, Geary RT, Woods GL.Ultrasonographic images of the accessory sex glands of 8 stallions were recorded immediately prior to sexual preparation, immediately after sexual preparation, and immediately after ejaculation. Relative size changes, determined by measurements of ultrasonograms of accessory sex gland, were contrasted. Length and width of the bulbourethral glands increased significantly (P less than 0.05) after sexual preparation and decreased significantly (P less than 0.05) after ejaculation. The increase in bulbourethral gland volume following sexual preparation was correlated significantly (P less than 0.0...
Zientek KD, Anderson DF, Wegner K, Cole C.A method for the extraction and quantitation of procaine in equine plasma was developed for use with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Procaine was isolated from equine plasma by liquid-liquid extraction at pH 11 with dichloromethane using procaine-d10 as an internal standard. Quantitation was achieved by LC-MS using a 3-microm C-18 column coupled to an electrospray ionization source on a linear ion-trap mass spectrometer. The limit of detection and limit of quantitation was determined to be 50 and 200 pg/mL, respectively. The lowest limit of detection determined by previous met...
Harcourt MM, Smith RL, Hosgood G.Objective comparative evidence of the time to onset and duration of effect provided by local anaesthetic (LA) agents for perineural blocks in the horse is lacking. Clear knowledge of these properties is required to guide clinically appropriate agent selection and aid interpretation of response to diagnostic blocks for lameness examinations. An interventional study, with complete, randomised crossover design was used to compare time to onset and duration of skin desensitisation provided by four LA agents applied to palmar digital nerve blocks in 12 horses. Effect at each time point was determin...
Stratford CH, Pemberton A, Cameron L, McGorum BC.Although a presumptive diagnosis of acute grass sickness (AGS) can be made on the basis of clinical signs, a definitive ante mortem diagnosis currently requires histological examination of enteric ganglia. Development of an accurate noninvasive ante mortem diagnostic test is therefore warranted. The objective of this study was to determine whether quantification of the plasma concentrations of the heavily phosphorylated form of major neurofilament subunit NF-H (pNF-H), which mirror the degree of axonal degeneration in some human and animal neurodegenerative disorders, could distinguish AGS-aff...