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Brain activity of dogs and their human companions may sync when they gaze into each other’s eyes, a new study suggests.
During social interactions between people, the activity of their neurons is known to become synchronised, especially in the frontal lobe of the brain, indicating that they are paying attention to each other.
Researchers say mutual gazing between humans and their canine pets may cause a similar synchronisation.
The new study, published in the journal Advanced Science, indicates that petting leads to synchronisation in the parietal region, also involved in paying attention.
As pets and their companions bond and grow more familiar, scientists say, the synchronisation may become stronger.
The study paired 10 beagles with unknown humans over five days and analysed EEG brain signals from both.
For comparison, a control group of humans and dogs was made to stay in the same room, but not interact.
“The strength of the synchronisation increases with a growing familiarity of the human-dog dyad over five days,” the study shows.
The analysis suggests that human brain activity is the leader and the dog’s signals follow.
Previous studies identified human brain regions that get involved during petting as people pay close attention to their dogs with emotional engagement. This is the first time the same activity has been found to be mirrored in a dog’s brain.
Some genetic mutations with similar characteristics to autism spectrum disorder can cause dogs to have social impairment symptoms, researchers say.
In the case of such dogs, there may be a loss of the brain activity synchronisation as well as reduced attention during interactions.
“Dogs with Shank3 mutations, which represent a promising complementary animal model of autism spectrum disorders, show a loss of interbrain coupling and reduced attention,” researchers say.
A single treatment with the psychedelic LSD may reverse this abnormality. “There are two implications of the present study: one is that the disrupted inter-brain synchronisation might be used as a biomarker for autism,” Yong Zhang, one of the study’s authors from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, said.
“The other is LSD or its derivatives might ameliorate the social symptoms of autism.”
