Tuesday, October 8, 2013

"Dogs are People Too"

"Although we are just beginning to answer basic questions about the canine brain, we cannot ignore the striking similarity between dogs and humans in both the structure and function of a key brain region: the caudate nucleus."
       
Rich in dopamine receptors, the caudate sits between the brainstem and the cortex. In humans, the caudate plays a key role in the anticipation of things we enjoy, like food, love and money. But can we flip this association around and infer what a person is thinking just by measuring caudate activity?"
 
Because of the overwhelming complexity of how different parts of the brain are connected to one another, it is not usually possible to pin a single cognitive function or emotion to a single brain region."
 
But the caudate may be an exception. Specific parts of the caudate stand out for their consistent activation to many things that humans enjoy. Caudate activation is so consistent that under the right circumstances, it can predict our preferences for food, music and even beauty."
 


How Dogs Love Us

12 comments:

Eric the Fruit Bat said...

I'm guessing that maybe 2% of the U.S. adult population could write so much as a 5 page essay explaining the workings of the DNA molecule from memory.

Eric the Fruit Bat said...

That's 5 pages, hand-written, double-spaced.

Blue book optional.

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...

People hate those machines. Why would a dog want to hold still in that noisy tomb?
oh yeah- treats!

Are many scientists this bored with nothing to do? Is this guy paid with a tax payer funded grant? Wow - it turns out the dog recognizes you and loves you. Didn't we know that already? I appreciate dog lovers, but sticking a dog in a MRI machine when the dog doesn’t have cancer-- NOT cool.

Eric the Fruit Bat said...

Runner fined for training in the park.

"Bell's lawyer, Jeremy Ibrahim, said Bell was just trying to stay fit, even as Congress debates a national health plan."

Ha!

That's gold, Jerry. Gold!

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...

Dogs recognize us and they love us, even after a trip to the MRI machine.
Dogs are superior.

Ignorance is Bliss said...

It's pretty clear that the researcher is only trying to justify his own "Man's best friends with benefits" arrangement.

ricpic said...

Both dogs and people lose all control in the presence of....BACON!

ricpic said...

Well, being a Fruit Bat a little leeway has to be granted, but the idea that 2% of adults. that's one in fifty, could write as much as a paragraph explaining how DNA works is preposterous. Make it one in five thousand and you're entering the realm of possibility. Not probability, possibility. What is that, .002%? Well, something like that.

Methadras said...

It is clearly safe to say that without the domestication of dogs some 40k - 60k years ago, we as human beings may not be the same as we are today. Dogs have been quintessential in the help of the development of modern man.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

And cats are doing their best to prevent any further advancement of modern man....unless it is to their benefit.

rhhardin said...

That he uses food rewards shows he doesn't understand dogs at all.

He starts with an assumption that hides everything.

deborah said...

April is correct, we don't need to put a dog in an MRI to know that dogs are people, too.