The interrelated effect of sleep and learning in dogs (Canis familiaris); an EEG and behavioural study.
The active role of sleep in memory consolidation is still debated, and due to a large between-species variation, the investigation of a wide range of different animal species (besides humans and laboratory rodents) is necessary. The present study applied a fully non-invasive methodology to study sleep and memory in domestic dogs, a species proven to be a good model of human awake behaviours. Polysomnography recordings performed following a command learning task provide evidence that learning has an effect on dogs' sleep EEG spectrum. Furthermore, spectral features of the EEG were related to post-sleep performance improvement. Testing an additional group of dogs in the command learning task revealed that sleep or awake activity during the retention interval has both short- and long-term effects. This is the first evidence to show that dogs' human-analogue social learning skills might be related to sleep-dependent memory consolidation.
Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary.
Anna
A
Kis
Institute of Behavioural Sciences, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.
Sára
S
Szakadát
MTA-ELTE Comparative Ethology Research Group, Budapest, Hungary.|Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.
Márta
M
Gácsi
Department of Ecology Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, Szent István University, Budapest, Hungary.
Enikő
E
Kovács
Department of Cognitive Science, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Budapest, Hungary.
Péter
P
Simor
Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary.|Institute of Psychology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.
Csenge
C
Török
Department of General Psychology, Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Budapest, Hungary.
Ferenc
F
Gombos
Institute of Behavioural Sciences, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.|Department of General Psychology, Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Budapest, Hungary.
Róbert
R
Bódizs
Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary.
József
J
Topál
D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology; D058256:Brain Waves; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D012894:Sleep Stages