Disrupted Human-Dog Interbrain Neural Coupling in Autism-Associated Shank3 Mutant Dogs.

Scientists studied brain activity in humans and dogs interacting together. They found that when humans and dogs look at each other or during petting, their brain waves sync up. Dogs with genetic changes similar to autism showed less brain connection and attention problems with humans. Surprisingly, a psychedelic drug (LSD) helped fix these problems in the dogs.

This 2024 study investigated neural synchronization between humans and dogs during social interactions using electroencephalography (EEG). Researchers found that mutual gaze and petting induced interbrain coupling in frontal and parietal regions respectively, with synchronization strength increasing over five days of familiarity. Information flow analysis suggested humans led the interactions while dogs followed. Notably, dogs with Shank3 mutations (an autism animal model) showed disrupted interbrain coupling and reduced attention during human-dog interactions.

Treatment with lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) rescued these abnormalities. The findings provide novel insights into cross-species neural communication and suggest potential therapeutic approaches for social impairments in autism spectrum disorders.

Provides novel animal model insights into social communication deficits in autism. While LSD findings are intriguing, they represent very early research requiring extensive safety studies before any clinical application. The interbrain coupling concept may inform future research into social interaction therapies.

Sample size not reported. Study uses animal model which may not fully represent human autism. Limited information about methodology and statistical analyses. LSD findings are preliminary and require extensive safety evaluation before clinical consideration.

Dogs interact with humans effectively and intimately. However, the neural underpinnings for such interspecies social communication are not understood. It is known that interbrain activity coupling, i.e., the synchronization of neural activity between individuals, represents the neural basis of social interactions. Here, previously unknown cross-species interbrain activity coupling in interacting human-dog dyads is reported.

By analyzing electroencephalography signals from both dogs and humans, it is found that mutual gaze and petting induce interbrain synchronization in the frontal and parietal regions of the human-dog dyads, respectively. The strength of the synchronization increases with growing familiarity of the human-dog dyad over five days, and the information flow analysis suggests that the human is the leader while the dog is the follower during human-dog interactions. Furthermore, dogs with Shank3 mutations, which represent a promising complementary animal model of autism spectrum disorders (ASD), show a loss of interbrain coupling and reduced attention during human-dog interactions. Such abnormalities are rescued by the psychedelic lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD).

The results reveal previously unknown interbrain synchronizations within an interacting human-dog dyad which may underlie the interspecies communication, and suggest a potential of LSD for the amelioration of social impairment in patients with ASD.