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In a new study, scientists have found that eye contact between dogs and their pet parents can potentially spark changes in the canines’ brains.
The research has found that the brains of dogs synchronize with that of their owners when one stares at their furry companions’ eyes, Knewz.com has learned.
The study called this “interbrain activity coupling,” and delved into the bond shared between humans and dogs.
It was reported that the research could also hold clues for understanding and potentially treating autism in humans.
“It is known that interbrain activity coupling, i.e., the synchronization of neural activity between individuals, represents the neural basis of social interactions,” the research, which was published in the journal Advanced Science, mentioned.
“Here, previously unknown cross-species interbrain activity coupling in interacting human–dog dyads is reported.”
The team of researchers used dual-electroencephalography (EEG) to measure the brain activity of both humans and dogs during bonding behaviors like petting and gazing into each other’s eyes.
“By analyzing electroencephalography signals from both dogs and humans, it is found that mutual gaze and petting induce interbrain synchronization in the frontal and parietal regions of the human–dog dyads, respectively,” the paper explained.
The paper further mentioned, “While some interspecies relationships are formed based on mutual benefits such as protection, they rarely achieve the same level of communication seen in human–dog pairs.”
“Moreover, dogs have evolved to read, understand and respond to a wide range of human emotional states and communicative signals through behaviors, facial expressions, and even vocal tones, offering an extraordinary level of active companionship that is not often seen in other domesticated or companion animals, such as cats.”
“However, the neural mechanisms underlying the distinctive and effective communication between humans and dogs are largely unknown,” the paper added.
The research observed the interaction between humans and dogs in different settings—sitting in separate rooms, sitting together without interacting, and lastly, engaging in petting and eye contact.
The research found synchronization between certain regions of the brains of humans and dogs as they interacted with each other, which seemed to increase over a period of five days.
The analysis of the synchronization showed that it followed a leader-follower dynamic, where the human is the leader.
“The strength of the synchronization increases with growing familiarity of the human–dog dyad over five days, and the information flow analysis suggests that the human is the leader while the dog is the follower during human–dog interactions,” the paper mentioned.
The study also made another discovery that can potentially prove useful in the understanding and treatment of autism in humans.
During the research, the team of scientists observed that dogs with mutations in the SHANK3 gene showed a disrupted synchronization with the brains of the humans they were paired with.
However, these “abnormalities” were smoothed out by a dosage of the psychedelic lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD)—meaning, the synchronization was restored when the dogs with the mutated SHANK3 were given the drug LSD.
Notably, the SHANK3 gene mutation is strongly linked to autism spectrum disorders in humans.
While it is too early to establish it as a fact, the research suggests that the psychedelic drug LSD might have a prospect in the treatment of “social impairment” in patients with autism.
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