ResearchersinHungaryhaveconfirmedsomethingmanydogownershavelongsuspected:thatcaninesunderstandourfeelings.
Dogsareusuallynotrelaxedinalabenvironment,butwithalittlepettingandlotsoftreatstheycanbetrainedtositstilleveninanMRIscanner.That’showresearchersinHungary’sELTEUniversitywereabletogetimagesoftheirbrainsatwork.
ResearchfellowAttilaAndicssaysithelpedthembetterunderstandthedogs’relationshipwithhumans.
“Wehaveknownforalongtimethatdogsandhumanssharesimilarsocialenvironment,butnowourresultsshowthatdogsandhumansalsohavesimilarbrainmechanismstoprocesssocialinformation,"saidAndics.
Aftertraining11dogstostaymotionlesswhiletheirbrainswerescanned,theresearcherscheckedtheirneurologicalresponsestoabout200emotionallysignificantsounds,fromwhiningandcryingtoplayfulbarkingandlaughing.Theythencomparedtheresponsesfromhumansubjects.Theyfoundstrikingsimilarities.Andicssaysitopensnewpossibilitiesforresearch.
“Itestablishesafoundationofanewbranchofcomparativeneuroscience,becauseuntilnowitwasnotpossibletomeasurethebrainactivitiesofanon-primateandtheprimatebraininasingleexperiment,"saidAndics.
“We’veknownforalongtimethatdogshavealotofbehavioralsimilaritiescomparedtohumans.Butwedon’tknowanythingorverylittleatleastaboutwhethersomeofthesebehaviorsarerepresentedsimilarlyinsidethebrainofthedog,sothisresearchisprovidingafirstglimpsestowhetherthesebehavioralsimilaritiesareunderlinedbysimilarneuralprocesses,"saidMacLean.
Andwhatthattellsordinarydogowners,theHungarianscientistssay,istotreatyourcaninecompanionsasfriends,notmereanimals,becausetheyevidentlyunderstandhumanfeelings.