title: The effect of oxytocin on biological motion perception in dogs (Canis familiaris).
abstract: Recent studies have shown that the neuropeptide oxytocin is involved in the regulation of several complex human social behaviours. There is, however, little research on the effect of oxytocin on basic mechanisms underlying human sociality, such as the perception of biological motion. In the present study, we investigated the effect of oxytocin on biological motion perception in dogs (Canis familiaris), a species adapted to the human social environment and thus widely used to model many aspects of human social behaviour. In a within-subjects design, dogs (N = 39), after having received either oxytocin or placebo treatment, were presented with 2D projection of a moving point-light human figure and the inverted and scrambled version of the same movie. Heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) were measured as physiological responses, and behavioural response was evaluated by observing dogs' looking time. Subjects were also rated on the personality traits of Neuroticism and Agreeableness by their owners. As expected, placebo-pretreated (control) dogs showed a spontaneous preference for the biological motion pattern; however, there was no such preference after oxytocin pretreatment. Furthermore, following the oxytocin pretreatment female subjects looked more at the moving point-light figure than males. The individual variations along the dimensions of Agreeableness and Neuroticism also modulated dogs' behaviour. Furthermore, HR and HRV measures were affected by oxytocin treatment and in turn played a role in subjects' looking behaviour. We discuss how these findings contribute to our understanding of the neurohormonal regulatory mechanisms of human (and non-human) social skills.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Magyar Tudósok krt. 2, Budapest, 1117, Hungary. kovacskrisztinabea@gmail.com.|Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány P. s. 1/c, Budapest, 1117, Hungary. kovacskrisztinabea@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Krisztina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kovács
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Magyar Tudósok krt. 2, Budapest, 1117, Hungary. vargane.kis.anna@ttk.mta.hu.|Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány P. s. 1/c, Budapest, 1117, Hungary. vargane.kis.anna@ttk.mta.hu.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kis
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Magyar Tudósok krt. 2, Budapest, 1117, Hungary.
authors.forename: Orsolya
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kanizsár
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Magyar Tudósok krt. 2, Budapest, 1117, Hungary.|Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány P. s. 1/c, Budapest, 1117, Hungary.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hernádi
authors.affiliation: MTA-ELTE Comparative Ethology Research Group, Pázmány P. s. 1/c, Budapest, 1117, Hungary.
authors.forename: Márta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gácsi
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Magyar Tudósok krt. 2, Budapest, 1117, Hungary.
authors.forename: József
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Topál
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D009039:Motion Perception / Q000187:drug effects*; D010121:Oxytocin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010551:Personality; D012919:Social Behavior
chemical_list: D010121:Oxytocin
keywords: Biological motion; Dog (Canis familiaris); Heart rate; Individual traits; Oxytocin