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Oxytocin promotes social bonding in dogs - Coggle Diagram
Oxytocin promotes social bonding in dogs
Citation
Romero T, Nagasawa M, Mogi K, Hasegawa T, Kikusui T. 2014. Oxytocin promotes social bonding in dogs. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 111(25): 9085-9090. Available from: www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1322868111
Additional Questions
Study was done on long term bonds already created, how would administration of OT affect bonds as they are created?
Does age of dog affect the bonding?
How much does breed affect the OT levels and behaviors
Introduction
Behavioral ecology theory: lower predation & higher food acquisition fostered sociability
Sociability may be selected for
Higher fitness reflected in stronger social bonds
Neurological mechanisms untested
Oxytocin (OT) linked to reproductive functions & several social behaviors
OT may also influence trust, cooperation, generosity, and empathy
Most studies focus on parental or sexual pair bonds
Studies do not prove role of OT in behavioral changes
Hypothesis: Does OT regulate formation and maintenance of close, long term social bonds in non-familial/sexual relationships?
Results
Basal OT levels remained stable throughout
Despite limited interaction from owners, dogs with OT affiliated with owners slightly more than dogs with placebo
Dogs with OT interacted significantly more with their dog partner than dogs with placebo
OT was released immediately after reciprocation of social behavior
Discussion
Increased social interaction after external exposure to OT indicates that OT influences non-partner & non-parental sociability as well
Affiliation increase in same species was more drastic than in humans
Nasal administration of OT unconfirmed to directly affect brain
Results do not explain how OT affects behavior, just that it does
"Context-dependent"
Can increase territorial behavior
Internal levels affected the response to external levels: High internal = less responsive to external
Social contact not only factor; reciprocation was important
Methods
Intranasal-administered OT increased OT levels in plasma & brain
Linear mixed models used to analyze behaviors
Measured affiliation, social proximity, approach & orientation