It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
CREDIT: PHOTO: RAUL HERNANDEZ / EÖTVÖS LORÁND UNIVERSITY
Dogs’ food preferences are mirrored in their brain activity, particularly within their caudate nuclei -a brain region associated with reward processing, a new study combining behavioural and neuroimaging data by researchers from the Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University (Hungary) and Symrise Pet Food (France) finds. The study, which seamlessly blends behavioral observations with advanced neuroimaging techniques, offers novel insights into the influence of food quality on dogs' motivation. This work has been published in Scientific Reports.
Similar to people, when it comes to food, some dogs are pickier, while others are more easygoing. However, even food that may not be the tastiest is still motivating. Through two experiments, this study tested the influence of food quality on dogs' motivation to solve a problem, as well as their corresponding brain representations.
In the first experiment, a cohort of twenty family dogs was trained to unwrap a box. Subsequently, these dogs were taught to associate specific tones with two distinct food types: smoked ham, a highly rewarding treat, and fiber cookies, a less rewarding option. Finally, dogs unwrapped a box while one of the sounds played, and we used the unwrapping time as a measure of their motivation to obtain the associated food. The results showed that the dogs unwrapped the box quicker when the sound associated with the higher quality food, the smoked ham, was played.
The second experiment involved another group of twenty family dogs, which were trained to remain still in a brain scanner. Initially, a scanning session exposed the dogs to both sounds, which held no meaning at this stage. Following this, the dogs participated in the wrapped box experiment. Finally, the dogs underwent another scanning session during which they listened to the sounds again, but this time, each sound had an association with either smoked ham or fiber cookies.
The focus of the brain analysis centered on observing changes in the caudate nucleus, a brain region linked to reward processing across species. Compared to the first session, the caudate nucleus exhibited a heightened response in the second session, responding more strongly to both sounds. Remarkably, it displayed an even more pronounced response to the sound associated with the highly rewarding smoked ham. "While prior research has primarily focused on how the dog brain responds to rewards versus non-rewards, our study takes a step further, delving into the representation of two food rewards varying in quality. Our findings highlight that the caudate nuclei not merely process rewards, but also distinguish between rewards based on their quality." — explains Dorottya Ujfalussy, senior author of the study.
Of course, not all showed the same performance. The greater the discrepancy in the speed at which dogs unwrapped the two boxes, the more discernible their brain response patterns became for the two sounds in their right caudate nucleus. "It is exciting to be able to 'see' how dogs represent different foods in their brains and observe how the quality of the food influences their motivation. We were surprised to discover a distinct positive correlation between the behavior of the dogs and their brain representations. The direction of this relationship still intrigues us; based on our data, we cannot determine whether a more distinct brain representation of both sounds enables a better behavioral performance or if it operates in the reverse. It’s likely that this process is not solely unidirectional." — says Laura V. Cuaya, first author of the study.
Pickier Dogs Have Pickier Brains
CREDIT
Photo: Department of Ethology at Eötvös Loránd University
Representation of rewards differing in their hedonic valence in the caudate nucleus correlates with the performance in a problem-solving task in dogs (Canis familiaris)
Do you get the point? – Are dogs or cats more skilled in relying on human pointing gestures?
Dog and cat owners are familiar with the age-old debate: which of the two species is smarter?
CREDIT: PHOTO: DEPARTMENT OF ETHOLOGY AT EÖTVÖS LORÁND UNIVERSITY
Dog and cat owners are familiar with the age-old debate: which of the two species is smarter? However, answering this question is impossible, especially due to the difficulty of a sound comparison.
The degree to which our two most popular pets are similar to each other has long been a source of a scientific debate. Many comparative studies have already been conducted on these species, with varying degrees of success. For example, it is unclear whether they are able to recognize human communicational signals, such as pointing, to the same extent.
Researchers from the ELKH-ELTE Comparative Ethology Research Group and the Department of Ethology at Eötvös Loránd University compared how well companion dogs and cats can choose based on human pointing gestures in their recent study. Importantly, the pets were tested under the same conditions, ensuring the comparability of the results.
"We tested cats and dogs first in the laboratory, which was quite the challenge for cats," said Attila Salamon, the first author of the article. "A total of 62 indoor family cats were brought to the Department by their owners, but we could carry out the pointing test with only 34 of them. The rest were either too shy or unmotivated to participate even though their favourite treats were offered. On the other hand, no dogs had to be excluded."
"The task appeared to be very simple: we placed two containers on the ground, one of which contained a food reward. The experimenter always pointed at the baited container, then the subject could choose. Overall, dogs proved to be more skilled: they found the reward significantly more frequently than cats," said Melitta Csepregi, co-author. “In addition, cats gradually became less willing to choose, while dogs were eager to work during the whole duration of the test.”
Since cats seemed to be at a disadvantage in the unfamiliar environment, the researchers later tested a subgroup of the cats also at home. While cats’ willingness to choose a container did not decline at home, their overall success was still lower compared to dogs.
"There may be several sources of these differences. Cats may have been less attentive, less motivated by food rewards, or frustrated by the unfamiliar environment or unusual handling during the test,” said Márta Gácsi, the lead researcher. "Unlike the cat, the dog is a social species and was selected for interaction and cooperation with humans during domestication. Differences in how we keep them may also have contributed to the test results. All things considered, it's no surprise that it's less relevant for cats to rely on human communication cues" she added.
Cat finds the reward (IMAGE)
EÖTVÖS LORÁND UNIVERSITY
Stefania Uccheddu tests with cat.
Stefania Uccheddu tests with dog
CREDIT
Photo: Department of Ethology at Eötvös Loránd University
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