Stroking pets positively changes the brain

Researchers led by Rahel Marti from the University of Basel in Switzerland have shown that observing, experiencing and touching real dogs increases activity in the prefrontal cortex of the brain.

The study, published on 5 October in the journal PLOS ONE shows that this effect persists even after the dogs have been removed, although it is diminished when real dogs are replaced by stuffed animals.

The findings could have implications for animal-assisted clinical therapy.

Since engaging with animals, particularly dogs, has been shown to help people cope with stress and depression, the researchers believe that a better understanding of the associated brain activity could help physicians develop more effective animal-assisted treatment systems.

The prefrontal cortex may be particularly important because it regulates and processes social and emotional relationships.

In the study, infrared neuroimaging devices were used to monitor activity in the prefrontal cortex of the brain while 19 men and women watched a dog, had the same dog lean against their legs, or touched the dog.

Each of these conditions was also tested with Leo, a stuffed lion with fur that was filled with a water bottle matching the temperature and weight of the dog.

The results showed that participants' prefrontal brain activity increased when they engaged with real dogs, and that this difference was greatest when they stroked the dog, which was the most stimulating condition.

A further significant difference was that prefrontal brain activity increased when participants engaged with the real dog.

This was not observed in subsequent contacts with the stuffed lion, suggesting that the response is attributable to familiarity or social bonding.

Future research will be needed to investigate the issue of familiarity in depth and to determine whether stroking animals could produce a comparable increase in prefrontal brain activity in people with socio-emotional anomalies.

The authors wrote: «The current study shows that prefrontal brain activity increases in healthy participants with increasing interactional proximity to a dog or a stuffed animal, with activation being higher during contact with the dog«.

This suggests that an encounter with a dog may activate more attentional processes and elicit a higher level of emotional arousal than corresponding non-living objects.

Pets bring joy to children, teenagers, adults and the elderly alike. Consequently, pets and mental health are inextricably linked.

Furthermore, there is evidence for the benefits of dogs for mental health.

Numerous scientific studies have documented the benefits of keeping a dog or a cat for mental health.

Animals help in the treatment of depression, anxiety and stress.

They also provide us with companionship and alleviate loneliness. Pets also bring us joy and offer us unconditional affection.