How looking at a dog can help connect your brain with theirs – Firstpost

This may seem far-fetched, but
recent studies suggests that the brains of dogs and humans synchronize when they look at each other.

This is researchconducted by researchers in China, is the first time that a “neural connection” between different species has been recorded.

Neural communication is when the brain activity of two or more people is coordinated during an interaction. For people, this is often a reaction to a conversation or story.

Neural communication was observed during the interaction of representatives of the same species, including
mouse,
bats,
people and others
to receive. It’s probably a brain tie
important in formation reactions during social encounters and may lead to complex behaviors that will not be addressed in isolation,
such as improving teamwork or
teaching.

When social species interact,
their brains “wire”. But this cross-species case raises some interesting questions about the intricacies of the human-dog relationship and may help us understand each other a little better.

Dogs are more than just “companions”

The dog was one of them
the first animals people are domesticated. And they have a
a long history of sharing time and space with us Dogs are not only our companions, they also play a key role in our society, including
therapeutic support,
detection of diseases protection and grazing of livestock.

As a result, dogs have developed some impressive skills, including ability
recognize our emotional state and react to it.

In a recent study, researchers studied neural connections using a device called a non-invasive brain recording device.
electroencephalography (EEG). It uses headgear containing electrodes that detect neural signals – in this case from beagles and humans involved
in the study.

The researchers investigated what happened to these neural signals when dogs and humans were isolated from each other and in each other’s presence, but not looking at each other. Dogs and humans were then allowed to interact with each other.

“Eyes on You”

When dogs and humans looked at each other and the dogs were petted, their brain signals synchronized. Brain patterns in
key areas of the brain associated with attentionis the same in both dogs and humans.

Dogs and humans who became closer to each other over the five days of the study had increased synchronization of neural signals. Previous studies of interaction between people have revealed
increasing familiarity between people also resulted in more accurate matching of brain patterns. So the depth of the relationship between humans and dogs can strengthen neural connections.

The
the ability of dogs it is well known how to form strong bonds with people. A 2022 study found
the presence of familiar people can reduce stress response in young wolves, close relatives of the dog. The formation of neural connections with people can be one of the ways of developing the relationship between a dog and a person.

The researchers also studied the potential effects of differences in the brain on neural connections. They did this by including dogs with a mutation in a gene called Shank3, which can lead to disruption of neural communication in
areas of the brain associated with attention. This gene is responsible for creating a
protein that helps promote communication between cells, and are especially abundant in the brain. Mutations in Shank3 have also been associated with
autism spectrum disorder in humans.

The studied dogs with the Shank3 mutation did not show the same level of correspondence of brain signals to humans as dogs without the mutation. It was potentially due to
disruption of neural signaling and processing.

However, when the researchers gave study dogs with the Shank3 mutation a single dose of LSD (a hallucinogenic drug), they showed increased levels of attention and re-established a neural connection with humans.

There is LSD
it is known to promote social behavior in mice and
peoplealthough there are obviously ethical concerns about such treatment.

The researchers were clear that there was still much to learn about the neural connections between dogs and humans.

It could very well be that looking into your dog’s eyes means that your brain signals will synchronize and improve your connection. The more you know each other, the stronger it becomes, it seems.

So next time the dog will look at you with his own
puppy eyesremember that you can be
strengthening your relationship.

Jacqueline Boydsenior lecturer of the Department of Animal Husbandry, Nottingham Trent University

This article is republished from
Conversation under Creative Commons license. Read it
original article.