Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences found that neurons in attention-related brain regions synchronize as dogs and humans grow closer. Previous studies suggested the human brain synchronizes during interactions with other people, but this is the first scientific work to reveal brain synchronization across species.
The team used an innovative method—dual electroencephalography—to measure brain activity in randomly paired “human-dog” duos. They found that the brain activity of participants in each pair became significantly more synchronized when they interacted with each other than when they were simply in the same room. Over five days of testing, synchronization increased as the pairs became more familiar with one another. In their report, led by Yun Qiu Zhang, the team wrote, “We have demonstrated for the first time that directed interbrain neural interactions occur between humans and dogs, particularly in the frontal and parietal regions associated with shared attention.”
In a second experiment, participants were asked to either pet a dog without making eye contact or to simply look into the dog’s eyes without touching it. Both kinds of interaction boosted brain synchronization. Maintaining a focused gaze was linked to increased activity in the frontal lobe, while petting activated the parietal region. Synchronization from combining touch and gaze was highest, the Daily Mail reported.
The researchers also found that dogs carrying a mutation in the SHANK3 gene, a mutation associated with autism spectrum disorder, showed a significant decrease in brain synchronization during interactions with humans. The results were published in the journal Advanced Science.
