Oxytocin-gaze positive loop and the coevolution of human-dog bonds

Nagasawa, Miho; Mitsui, Shouhei; En, Shiori; Ohtani, Nobuyo; Ohta, Mitsuaki; Sakuma, Yasuo; Onaka, Tatsushi; Mogi, Kazutaka; Kikusui, Takefumi

doi:10.1126/science.1261022

Cited by 568 publications

(463 citation statements)

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“…It has been shown in both humans (e.g. Herzmann et al, 2013) and dogs (Kovács et al, 2016;Nagasawa et al, 2015) that oxytocin can have differential effects on males and females. Sex differences may be rooted in the differences in oxytocin receptor affinity because steroid hormones, such as estradiol and progesterone, have the potential to modulate the OXT receptor (estradiol enhances OXT receptor affinity, while progesterone has been shown to decrease receptor binding - Choleris et al, 2008;Gimpl et al, 2002).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Evidence suggests that affiliative interactions between dogs and humans have the potential to increase oxytocin in both partners (Handlin et al 2011;Odendaal and Meintjes 2003). Making prolonged eye contact with a human partner produces intense emotional reactions and a substantial rise of circulating oxytocin in both dogs (Nagasawa et al, 2015) and humans .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Differential effects of oxytocin on social sensitivity in two distinct breeds of dogs ( Canis familiaris )

Kovács

Kis

Pogány

et al. 2016

Psychoneuroendocrinology

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Please cite this article as: {http://dx.doi.org/This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.Effects of oxytocin on social sensitivity in two breeds of dogs Kovács et al. HighlightsBreed-specific effects of oxytocin on dogs' social responsiveness were found Genetic and epigenetic factors might contribute to differential oxytocin effects Border Collies are more human oriented than Siberian Huskies Oxytocin affects some social behaviors irrespective of breed Sex differences can be found in the effect of oxytocin on dogs Effects of oxytocin on social sensitivity in two breeds of dogs Kovács et al. 3 ABSTRACTDogs have been proven to show several human-analogue social behaviors, and recent research raises the possibility that the oxytocin system is related to these. However, despite dogs' general tendency to excel in the domain of social cognition, there is increasing evidence that dogs' ability to utilize human signals may vary with breed. Moreover, breeds may show differences not only in their ‗inborn' communicative abilities, but also in their learning skills related to these. The aim of the present study was to explore breed differences and breedspecific effects of oxytocin administration on different aspects of social responsiveness. Dogs from two markedly different breeds, Border Collies (cooperative workers) and Siberian Huskies (independent workers) were tested. After having received intranasal administration of oxytocin or placebo, subjects participated in three behavioral tests measuring social responsiveness. Our results show that there are several behavioral differences between the two breeds and also that there are differential effects of the oxytocin treatment. Border Collies were in general more susceptible to the ‗social' effects of oxytocin compared to Siberian Huskies: after oxytocin administration they (1) looked more at the experimenter in the ‗Unreachable food' situation, (2) looked more at the owner and shifted their gaze more between the sound source and the owner in a potentially dangerous situation, and (3) looked longer at the experimenter's eyes in the ‗Tolerance of prolonged eye contact' test. These findings suggest that selection for enhanced cooperative abilities, possibly complemented by the effect of different social environments the two breeds experience, affects dogs' performance in several behavioral tests and that the neurohormonal background differently modulates social behavior in different working breeds. KeywordsEffects of oxytocin on social sensitivity in two breeds of dogs Kovács et al. 4Oxytocin; Dog (Canis familiaris); Breed differences; Social responsiveness E...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differential effects of oxytocin on social sensitivity in two distinct breeds of dogs ( Canis familiaris )

Kovács

Kis

Pogány

et al. 2016

Psychoneuroendocrinology

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“…Hence the strength of the relationship between the infant and the receiver may predict behavioural responses of the receiver and his hormonally regulated attitude towards the initiator that also feeds back on the hormonal response of the initiator. This suggests that choosing receiver based on the infant's relationships may drive a hormonally mediated positive loop (Nagasawa et al 2015) that benefits both individuals. Future research will have to show how levels of physiological stress, aggression-related hormones and bonding-related hormones are linked (see e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Triadic awareness predicts partner choice in male–infant–male interactions in Barbary macaques

et al. 2016

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Social knowledge beyond one's direct relationships is a key to successful maneuvering of the social world. Individuals gather information on the quality of social relationships between their group companions, which has been termed triadic awareness. Evidence of the use of triadic awareness in natural contexts is limited mainly to conflict management. Here we investigated triadic awareness in wild Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus) in the context of bridging interactions defined as male-infant-male interactions whereby a male (actor) presents an infant to another male (receiver) in order to initiate an affiliative interaction with that male. Analyses based on 1,263 hours of focal observations on ten infants of one wild social group in Morocco supported the hypothesis that males use their knowledge of the relationship between infants and other adult males when choosing a male as a partner for bridging interactions. Specifically, (i) the number of bridging interactions among initiator-infant-receiver triads was affected by the strength of the infant-receiver relationship and (ii) when two males were available as bridging partners, a male was more likely to be chosen as the receiver the stronger his social relationship with the infant in comparison to the other available male was. This demonstrates that non-human primates establish triadic awareness also of temporarily rather dynamic infant-male relationships and use it in naturally occurring affiliative context. Our results contribute to the discussion about the mechanism underlying the acquisition of triadic awareness and the benefits of its usage and lend support to hypotheses linking social complexity to the evolution of complex cognition.

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“…Oxytocin (OXT) and argininevasopressin (AVP), closely-related nonapeptides, are mainly synthesized in the supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei of the hypothalamus. OXT plays key regulatory roles in affiliative and social behaviors as has been revealed by substantial studies in rodents [1][2][3] and other species [4,5], including humans [6]. Similarly, AVP is also involved in the regulation of social behaviors including social preference [7], social memory [8], social bonding [9], and aggression [10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Plasma Oxytocin and Arginine-Vasopressin Levels in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in China: Associations with Symptoms

Zhang

Dai

et al. 2016

Neurosci. Bull.

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Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is defined by impairments of social interaction and the presence of obsessive behaviors. The ''twin'' nonapeptides oxytocin (OXT) and arginine-vasopressin (AVP) are known to play regulatory roles in social behaviors. However, the plasma levels and behavioral relevance of OXT and AVP in children with ASD have seldom been investigated. It is also unknown whether their mothers have abnormal plasma peptide levels. Here, using well-established methods of neuropeptide measurement and a relatively large sample size, we determined the plasma levels of the two neuropeptides in 85 normal children, 84 children with ASD, and 31 mothers from each group of children. As expected, children with ASD had lower plasma OXT levels than gender-matched controls (P = 0.028). No such difference was found for plasma AVP concentrations. Correlation analysis showed that ASD children with higher plasma OXT concentrations tended to have less impairment of verbal communication (Rho = -0.22, P = 0.076), while those with higher plasma AVP levels tended to have lower levels of repetitive use of objects (Rho = -0.231, P = 0.079). Unlike the findings in children, maternal plasma OXT levels showed no group difference. However, plasma AVP levels in the mothers of ASD children tended to be lower than in the mothers of normal children (P = 0.072). In conclusion, our results suggest that the OXT system is dysregulated in children with ASD, and that OXT and AVP levels in plasma seem to be associated with specific autistic symptoms. The plasma levels of OXT or AVP in mothers and their ASD children did not seem to change in the same direction.

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Oxytocin-gaze positive loop and the coevolution of human-dog bonds

Cited by 568 publications

References 28 publications

Differential effects of oxytocin on social sensitivity in two distinct breeds of dogs ( Canis familiaris )

Differential effects of oxytocin on social sensitivity in two distinct breeds of dogs ( Canis familiaris )

Triadic awareness predicts partner choice in male–infant–male interactions in Barbary macaques

Plasma Oxytocin and Arginine-Vasopressin Levels in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in China: Associations with Symptoms

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