Researchers Have Identified An Area of The Dog Brain Dedicated To Processing Human Faces

The human brain (a) and dog brain (b), from Thompkins et al, 2018 By Christian Jarrett If you want to know about the special relationship between human and canine you need only watch a dog owner slavishly feed, cuddle and clean up after her furry companion, day after day after day. But is this unique cross-species relationship also reflected at a deeper level, in the workings of the canine brain? A recent study in Learning and Behavior suggests so, finding that highly trained dogs have a dedicated neural area for processing human faces, separate from the area involved in processing the faces of other dogs. The researchers, led by Andie Thompkins at Auburn University, say their results are of theoretical importance (in relation to the evolutionary origin of cognitive abilities) and could have practical use too, potentially paving the way to using brain scans to validate the expertise of trained dogs. The researchers trained 12 working dogs (“detector dogs” aged between six months and three years) to lie still in a brain scanner and look at photographs of the faces of humans and dogs. The human faces varied in their familiarity (being both trainers and strangers) and in their emotional expression. Similarly, the dog faces varied in familiarity (being either kennel buddies or canine strangers). Remarkably, only 5 per cent of the data had to be removed because of excess movement by the canine participants. Analysis of the remaining data showed a distinct pattern o...
Source: BPS RESEARCH DIGEST - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Brain Comparative Faces Source Type: blogs