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Reicher V, Kovács T, Csibra B, Gácsi M. Potential interactive effect of positive expectancy violation and sleep on memory consolidation in dogs. Sci Rep 2024; 14:9487. [PMID: 38664506 PMCID: PMC11045790 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-60166-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
In dogs, as in humans, both emotional and learning pretreatment affect subsequent behaviour and sleep. Although learning often occurs in an emotional-social context, the emotion-learning interplay in such context remain mainly unknown. Aims were to assess the effects of Controlling versus Permissive (emotional factors) training (learning factors) styles on dogs' behaviour, learning performance, and sleep. Family dogs (N = 24) participated in two command learning sessions employing the two training styles with each session followed by assessment of learning performance, a 2-h-long non-invasive sleep EEG measurement, and a retest of learning performance. Pre- to post-sleep improvement in learning performance was evident in dogs that received the Permissive training during the second learning session, indicating that dogs that experienced a more rewarding situation than expected (positive expectancy violation) during the second training session showed improved learning success after their afternoon sleep. These results possibly indicate an interactive effect of expectancy violation and sleep on enhancing learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vivien Reicher
- Clinical and Developmental Neuropsychology Research Group, HUN-REN Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Budapest, Hungary.
- Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.
| | - Tímea Kovács
- Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
- Doctoral School of Biology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Barbara Csibra
- Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
- Doctoral School of Biology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Márta Gácsi
- Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
- HUN-REN-ELTE Comparative Ethology Research Group, Budapest, Hungary
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Iotchev IB, Bognár Z, Tóth K, Reicher V, Kis A, Kubinyi E. Sleep-physiological correlates of brachycephaly in dogs. Brain Struct Funct 2023; 228:2125-2136. [PMID: 37742302 PMCID: PMC10587206 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-023-02706-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
The shape of the cranium is one of the most notable physical changes induced in domestic dogs through selective breeding and is measured using the cephalic index (CI). High CI (a ratio of skull width to skull length > 60) is characterized by a short muzzle and flat face and is referred to as brachycephaly. Brachycephalic dogs display some potentially harmful changes in neuroanatomy, and there are implications for differences in behavior, as well. The path from anatomy to cognition, however, has not been charted in its entirety. Here, we report that sleep-physiological markers of white-matter loss (high delta power, low frontal spindle frequency, i.e., spindle waves/s), along with a spectral profile for REM (low beta, high delta) associated with low intelligence in humans, are each linked to higher CI values in the dog. Additionally, brachycephalic subjects spent more time sleeping, suggesting that the sleep apnea these breeds usually suffer from increases daytime sleepiness. Within sleep, more time was spent in the REM sleep stage than in non-REM, while REM duration was correlated positively with the number of REM episodes across dogs. It is currently not clear if the patterns of sleep and sleep-stage duration are mainly caused by sleep-impairing troubles in breathing and thermoregulation, present a juvenile-like sleeping profile, or are caused by neuro-psychological conditions secondary to the effects of brachycephaly, e.g., frequent REM episodes are known to appear in human patients with depression. While future studies should more directly address the interplay of anatomy, physiology, and behavior within a single experiment, this represents the first description of how the dynamics of the canine brain covary with CI, as measured in resting companion dogs using a non-invasive sleep EEG methodology. The observations suggest that the neuroanatomical changes accompanying brachycephaly alter neural systems in a way that can be captured in the sleep EEG, thus supporting the utility of the latter in the study of canine brain health and function.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Zsófia Bognár
- Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
- Doctoral School of Biology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Katinka Tóth
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Vivien Reicher
- Doctoral School of Biology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
- Developmental and Translational Neuroscience Research Group, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Anna Kis
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
- ELTE-ELKH NAP Comparative Ethology Research Group, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Enikő Kubinyi
- Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
- MTA-ELTE Lendület "Momentum" Companion Animal Research Group, Budapest, Hungary
- ELTE NAP Canine Brain Research Group, Budapest, Hungary
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Carreiro C, Reicher V, Kis A, Gácsi M. Owner-rated hyperactivity/impulsivity is associated with sleep efficiency in family dogs: a non-invasive EEG study. Sci Rep 2023; 13:1291. [PMID: 36690703 PMCID: PMC9870861 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-28263-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Subjective sleep disturbances are reported by humans with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, no consistent objective findings related to sleep disturbances led to the removal of sleep problems from ADHD diagnostic criteria. Dogs have been used as a model for human ADHD with questionnaires validated for this purpose. Also, their sleep physiology can be measured by non-invasive methods similarly to humans. In the current study, we recorded spontaneous sleep EEG in family dogs during a laboratory session. We analyzed the association of sleep macrostructure and deep sleep (NREM) slow-wave activity (SWA) with a validated owner-rated ADHD questionnaire, assessing inattention (IA), hyperactivity/impulsivity (H/I) and total (T) scores. Higher H/I and T were associated with lower sleep efficiency and longer time awake after initial drowsiness and NREM. IA showed no associations with sleep variables. Further, no association was found between ADHD scores and SWA. Our results are in line with human studies in which poor sleep quality reported by ADHD subjects is associated with some objective EEG macrostructural parameters. This suggests that natural variation in dogs' H/I is useful to gain a deeper insight of ADHD neural mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecília Carreiro
- Doctoral School of Biology, Institute of Biology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.
- Department of Ethology, Institute of Biology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.
| | - Vivien Reicher
- Doctoral School of Biology, Institute of Biology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
- MTA-ELTE Comparative Ethology Research Group, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Anna Kis
- Department of Ethology, Institute of Biology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Márta Gácsi
- Department of Ethology, Institute of Biology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
- MTA-ELTE Comparative Ethology Research Group, Budapest, Hungary
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Piotti P, Piseddu A, Aguzzoli E, Sommese A, Kubinyi E. Two valid and reliable tests for monitoring age-related memory performance and neophobia differences in dogs. Sci Rep 2022; 12:16175. [PMID: 36171232 PMCID: PMC9519567 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-19918-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The prolonged lifespan of companion dogs has resulted in increased behavioural and physical challenges linked to old age. The development of behavioural tests to identify and monitor age-related differences has begun. However, standardised testing requires validation. The present study aimed to assess external validity, interobserver reliability, and test-retest reliability of an indoor test battery for the rapid assessment of age-related behavioural differences in dogs. Two experimenters tested young dogs (N = 20, mean age ± SD = 2.7 ± 0.4 years) and old dogs (N = 18, mean age ± SD = 11.8 ± 1.3 years) in the test battery once and then again after two weeks. Our results found external validity for two subtests out of six. On both test occasions, old dogs committed more errors than young dogs in a memory subtest and showed more object avoidance when encountering a novel object. Interobserver reliability and test-retest reliability was high. We conclude that the Memory and Novel object subtests are valid and reliable for monitoring age-related memory performance and object neophobic differences in dogs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrizia Piotti
- Department of Ethology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/c, 1117, Budapest, Hungary.,Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, University of Milan (UNIMI), 26900, Lodi, Italy
| | - Andrea Piseddu
- Department of Ethology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/c, 1117, Budapest, Hungary.,Institute of Animal Welfare Science, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinaerplatz 1, 1210, Vienna, Austria
| | - Enrica Aguzzoli
- Department of Ethology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/c, 1117, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Andrea Sommese
- Department of Ethology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/c, 1117, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Eniko Kubinyi
- Department of Ethology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/c, 1117, Budapest, Hungary. .,MTA-ELTE Lendület "Momentum" Companion Animal Research Group, Budapest, Hungary.
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Smith M, Mendl M, Murrell JC. Associations between osteoarthritis and duration and quality of night-time rest in dogs. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2022.105661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Hall NJ, Johnston AM, Bray EE, Otto CM, MacLean EL, Udell MAR. Working Dog Training for the Twenty-First Century. Front Vet Sci 2021; 8:646022. [PMID: 34386536 PMCID: PMC8353195 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2021.646022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2020] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Dogs are trained for a variety of working roles including assistance, protection, and detection work. Many canine working roles, in their modern iterations, were developed at the turn of the 20th century and training practices have since largely been passed down from trainer to trainer. In parallel, research in psychology has advanced our understanding of animal behavior, and specifically canine learning and cognition, over the last 20 years; however, this field has had little focus or practical impact on working dog training. The aims of this narrative review are to (1) orient the reader to key advances in animal behavior that we view as having important implications for working dog training, (2) highlight where such information is already implemented, and (3) indicate areas for future collaborative research bridging the gap between research and practice. Through a selective review of research on canine learning and behavior and training of working dogs, we hope to combine advances from scientists and practitioners to lead to better, more targeted, and functional research for working dogs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathaniel J. Hall
- Canine Olfaction Lab, Department of Animal and Food Science, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, United States
| | - Angie M. Johnston
- Boston College Canine Cognition Center, Psychology and Neuroscience Department, Boston College, Chapel Hill, MA, United States
| | - Emily E. Bray
- Arizona Canine Cognition Center, School of Anthropology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
- Canine Companions for Independence, National Headquarters, Santa Rosa, CA, United States
| | - Cynthia M. Otto
- Department of Clinical Sciences and Advanced Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, Penn Vet Working Dog Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Evan L. MacLean
- Arizona Canine Cognition Center, School of Anthropology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
- Cognitive Science Program, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
- Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
- College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
| | - Monique A. R. Udell
- Human-Animal Interaction Lab, Department of Animal & Rangeland Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States
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Iotchev IB, Kubinyi E. Shared and unique features of mammalian sleep spindles - insights from new and old animal models. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2021; 96:1021-1034. [PMID: 33533183 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2020] [Revised: 01/19/2021] [Accepted: 01/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Sleep spindles are phasic events observed in mammalian non-rapid eye movement sleep. They are relevant today in the study of memory consolidation, sleep quality, mental health and ageing. We argue that our advanced understanding of their mechanisms has not exhausted the utility and need for animal model work. This is both because some topics, like cognitive ageing, have not yet been addressed sufficiently in comparative efforts and because the evolutionary history of this oscillation is still poorly understood. Comparisons across species often are either limited to referencing the classical cat and rodent models, or are over-inclusive, uncritically including reports of sleep spindles in rarely studied animals. In this review, we discuss the emergence of new (dog and sheep) models for sleep spindles and compare the strengths and shortcomings of new and old models based on the three validation criteria for animal models - face, predictive, and construct validity. We conclude that an emphasis on cognitive ageing might dictate the future of comparative sleep spindle studies, a development that is already becoming visible in studies on dogs. Moreover, reconstructing the evolutionary history of sleep spindles will require more stringent criteria for their identification, across more species. In particular, a stronger emphasis on construct and predictive validity can help verify if spindle-like events in other species are actual sleep spindles. Work in accordance with such stricter validation suggests that sleep spindles display more universally shared features, like defining frequency, than previously thought.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivaylo Borislavov Iotchev
- Department of Ethology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, Budapest, 1117, Hungary
| | - Eniko Kubinyi
- Department of Ethology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/C, Budapest, 1117, Hungary
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