Different Dog Breeds Have
Different Brains, Study Finds.
A recent collaborative study has found that canine
breeding may be responsible for varying brain anatomy. .
The study examined brain scans taken of 62 purebred
male and female dogs from 33 different species. .
Differences in the dog's brain anatomy
were found to be dependent on their long-
lasting partnership with humans. .
What we found was that the differences in brain
anatomy go over and above differences in body
size, brain size, and just general head shape.
And we think these differences are accounted
for by the selective breeding of behaviors, Erin Hecht, Harvard University, via Gizmodo.
One example shows that hunting dogs, such as golden
retrievers, have key differences in the regions of their
brain linked to coordination and spatial navigation. .
According to Hecht, this discovery could
lead to the use of neuroscience to refine the
specialized tasks that dogs are bred to perform. .
This might sound a little goofy, but it’s
also profound—our brains have been
shaping the brains of another species. , Erin Hecht, Harvard University, via Gizmodo