Canine science: New findings on dog aging and emotion recognition

dog aging DNA canine brain activity human emotion recognition epigenetic clock dog years formula

Recent scientific studies have provided new insights into canine biology, specifically regarding how dogs perceive human emotions and how they age.

Using functional MRI scans, researchers from the University of Vienna, the National Autonomous University of Mexico, and Eötvös Loránd University discovered that dogs can distinguish between various human facial expressions. While it was previously known that dogs recognize positive versus negative emotions, brain activity patterns show they can also differentiate between specific negative emotions, such as distinguishing fear from anger or sadness. Happy faces specifically trigger activity in brain regions associated with reward and cognitive processing.

Separately, genetic research has challenged the traditional ‘seven-year rule’ for calculating a dog's age. By analyzing DNA methylation patterns in Labrador Retrievers, scientists developed a more accurate mathematical formula. This research indicates that dogs age much more rapidly in their early stages of life before the rate of aging slows down significantly in adulthood. The new logarithmic formula suggests a one-year-old dog is biologically closer to a 31-year-old human, rather than seven.

Entities

Eötvös Loránd University · Labrador Retriever · National Autonomous University of Mexico · Tufts University · University of Vienna

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[● 2 SOURCES] Happy human faces trigger increased activity in a dog's brain region associated with reward processing, such as the right temporal cortex and caudate nucleus. www.rockandpop.cl · tn.com.ar
[● 2 SOURCES] Dogs can distinguish between specific negative human emotions, including fear, sadness, and anger, based on facial expressions. www.rockandpop.cl · tn.com.ar
[○ 1 SOURCE] Frequent friction or conflict in the human-dog relationship is linked to less adaptive coping styles in adolescents with social anxiety.
[○ 1 SOURCE] The quality of the bond between adolescents and dogs, specifically companionship and care, is associated with healthier stress-coping strategies.
[○ 1 SOURCE] The study utilized functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to observe brain activity in domestic dogs while viewing human faces. tn.com.ar