Identification of Genes Associated with Human-Canine Communication in Canine Evolution.

Abstract The dog (Canis familiaris) was the first domesticated animal and hundreds of breeds exist today. During domestication, dogs experienced strong selection for temperament, behaviour, and cognitive ability. However, the genetic basis of these abilities is not well-understood. We focused on ancient dog breeds to investigate breed-related differences in social cognitive abilities. In a problem-solving task, ancient breeds showed a lower tendency to look back at humans than other European breeds. In a two-way object choice task, they showed no differences in correct response rate or ability to read human communicative gestures. We examined gene polymorphisms in oxytocin, oxytocin receptor, melanocortin 2 receptor, and a Williams–Beuren syndrome-related gene (WBSCR17), as candidate genes of dog domestication. The single-nucleotide polymorphisms on melanocortin 2 receptor were related to both tasks, while other polymorphisms were associated with the unsolvable task. This indicates that glucocorticoid functions are involved in the cognitive skills acquired during dog domestication.

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Variation in the Oxytocin Receptor Gene Is Associated With Social Cognition and ADHD

Journal of Attention Disorders ◽

10.1177/1087054717706757 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 23 (7) ◽

pp. 702-711 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Tuğba Kalyoncu ◽

Burcu Özbaran ◽

Sezen Köse ◽

Hüseyin Onay

Keyword(s):

Social Cognition ◽

Cognitive Abilities ◽

Social Cognitive ◽

Receptor Gene ◽

Recognition Task ◽

Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽

Single Nucleotide ◽

Oxytocin Receptor Gene ◽

Children With Adhd ◽

Adhd Children

Objective: Children with ADHD show substantial deficits in social cognitive abilities. Oxytocin, mediated through its specific receptor (OXTR), is involved in the regulation of social behavior and social cognition. Method: The entire coding sequence of the human OXT and OXTR genes were sequenced to identify mutations and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 151 children with ADHD (ADHD-combined, n = 51; inattentive subtype, n = 50; ADHD-C plus conduct disorder [CD], n = 50; 11-18 years) and 100 healthy controls. Results: We examined the association of three detected SNPs of OXTR with social cognition deficits. A significant association was shown between the children with ADHD and children with CT/TT genotypes of rs4686302 (χ2 = 3.695; p = .037). ADHD children with CT/TT genotype for the OXTR rs4686302 performed significantly lower on the facial emotion recognition task than those with CC genotype. Conclusion: OXTR rs4686302 polymorphism was shown to be a genetic marker in social cognition deficits in ADHD children.

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Predictive context biases binocular rivalry in children and adults with no positive relation to two measures of social cognition

10.31234/osf.io/qkjty ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Christian Valuch ◽

Louisa Kulke

Keyword(s):

Theory Of Mind ◽

Binocular Rivalry ◽

Cognitive Abilities ◽

Cognitive Skills ◽

Social Cognitive ◽

Contextual Information ◽

Positive Association ◽

Similar Degree ◽

Eye Dominance ◽

Adult Participants

Integration of prior experience and contextual information can help to resolve perceptually ambiguous situations and might support the ability to understand other peoples’ thoughts and intentions, called Theory of Mind. We studied whether the readiness to incorporate contextual information for resolving binocular rivalry is positively associated with Theory-of-Mind-related social cognitive abilities. In children (12 to 13 years) and adults (18 to 25 years), a predictive temporal context reliably modulated the onset of binocular rivalry to a similar degree. In contrast, adult participants scored better on measures of Theory of Mind compared to children. We observed considerable interindividual differences regarding the influence of a predictive context on binocular rivalry, which were associated with differences in sensory eye dominance. The absence of a positive association between predictive effects on perception and Theory of Mind performance suggests that predictive effects on binocular rivalry and higher-level Theory-of-Mind-related abilities stem from different neurocognitive mechanisms. We conclude that the influence of predictive contextual information on basic visual processes is fully developed at an earlier age, whereas social cognitive skills continue to evolve from adolescence to adulthood.

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Horses with sustained attention follow the pointing of a human who knows where food is hidden

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-95727-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Monamie Ringhofer ◽

Miléna Trösch ◽

Léa Lansade ◽

Shinya Yamamoto

Keyword(s):

Sustained Attention ◽

Cognitive Abilities ◽

Choice Task ◽

Attentional State ◽

Object Choice ◽

Highly Sensitive ◽

Pointing Gestures ◽

Object Choice Task ◽

Communicative Gestures ◽

The Relationship

AbstractWhen interacting with humans, domesticated species may respond to communicative gestures, such as pointing. However, it is currently unknown, except for in dogs, if species comprehend the communicative nature of such cues. Here, we investigated whether horses could follow the pointing of a human informant by evaluating the credibility of the information about the food-hiding place provided by the pointing of two informants. Using an object-choice task, we manipulated the attentional state of the two informants during food-hiding events and differentiated their knowledge about the location of the hidden food. Furthermore, we investigated the horses’ visual attention levels towards human behaviour to evaluate the relationship between their motivation and their performance of the task. The result showed that horses that sustained high attention levels could evaluate the credibility of the information and followed the pointing of an informant who knew where food was hidden (Z = − 2.281, P = 0.002, n = 36). This suggests that horses are highly sensitive to the attentional state and pointing gestures of humans, and that they perceive pointing as a communicative cue. This study also indicates that the motivation for the task should be investigated to determine the socio-cognitive abilities of animals.

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Does the bonobo have a (chimpanzee-like) theory of mind?

10.1093/oso/9780198728511.003.0006 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Christopher Krupenye ◽

Evan L. MacLean ◽

Brian Hare

Keyword(s):

Theory Of Mind ◽

Cognitive Abilities ◽

Cognitive Skills ◽

Social Cognitive ◽

Ecological Validity ◽

Future Research ◽

Psychological States ◽

The Social ◽

Theorie De L'esprit ◽

Cognition Sociale

Theory of mind—the ability to reason about the thoughts and emotions of others—is central to what makes us human. Chimpanzees too appear to understand some psychological states. While less is known about bonobos, several lines of evidence suggest that the social-cognitive abilities of the two sister taxa may differ in key respects. This chapter outlines a framework to guide future research on bonobo social cognition based on the predictions of two potentially complementary hypotheses. The self-domestication hypothesis suggests that selection against aggression and for prosociality in bonobos may have impacted the ontogeny of their social-cognitive skills relative to chimpanzees. The empathizing–systemizing hypothesis links degree of prenatal brain masculinization, a potential result of self-domestication, to adult cognition. Specifically, relative feminization may yield more flexible theory of mind skills in bonobos than chimpanzees. Finally, directions for future study, including development of new paradigms that maximize ecological validity for bonobos, are discussed. La théorie de l’esprit—le pouvoir de raisonner les pensées et émotions des autres—est centrale à notre nature humaine. Il parait que les chimpanzés peuvent comprendre quelques états psychologiques. Tandis que nous savons moins des bonobos, plusieurs témoignages suggèrent que les capacités socio-cognitives des deux taxons soeur peuvent différer dans des aspects clefs. Nous traçons un cadre pour guider les prochaines recherches sur la cognition sociale des bonobos, basé sur les prédictions de deux hypothèses potentiellement complémentaires. L’hypothèse d’auto-domestication suggère que l’anti-agression et la prosocialité des bonobos a influé leur ontogenèse et leur capacités socio-cognitives relativement aux chimpanzés. L’hypothèse d’empathie systématique (Empathizing–Systemizing) forme un lien entre le degré de masculinisation prénatale du cerveau, le résultat potentiel d’auto-domestication, et la cognition adulte. Spécifiquement, la féminisation relative génère des théories de l’esprit plus flexibles chez les bonobos que chez les chimpanzés. Enfin, nous discutons le directions pour les prochaines études, inclut le développement de nouveaux paradigmes qui maximisent la validité écologique des bonobos.

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Ovariectomy Impairs Socio-Cognitive Functions in Dogs

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani9020058 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 58 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Anna Scandurra ◽

Alessandra Alterisio ◽

Anna Di Cosmo ◽

Antonio D’Ambrosio ◽

Biagio D’Aniello

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Abilities ◽

Cognitive Skills ◽

Learning Task ◽

Choice Task ◽

Canis Lupus Familiaris ◽

Object Choice ◽

Navigation Strategy ◽

Pointing Gestures ◽

Object Choice Task ◽

Choice Frequency

Recent studies have underlined the effect of ovariectomy on the spatial cognition of female dogs, with ovariectomized dogs showing a clear preference for an egocentric rather than an allocentric navigation strategy whereas intact females did not show preferences. Intact females had better performances than gonadectomized females in solving a learning task in a maze. Ovariectomy also affects socio-cognitive abilities, reducing the dog’s level of attention on the owner. We tested dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) in the object choice task paradigm to assess whether an ovariectomy could impair females’ ability to follow human signals. Forty pet dogs (18 intact females (IF) and 22 gonadectomized females (GF)) were tested in the object choice task paradigm using the human proximal pointing gesture. For the analysis, the frequency of correct, wrong and no-choices was collected; moreover, the latency of the correct choices was also considered. The IF group followed the pointing gestures more often than the GF group and with a lower latency, whereas a significantly higher no-choice frequency was recorded for the GF group. These results show a detrimental effect of ovariectomy on dogs’ socio-cognitive skills related to the responsiveness to human pointing gestures.

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The development of early social cognitive skills in neurogenetic syndromes associated with autism: Cornelia de Lange, fragile X and Rubinstein–Taybi syndromes

Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases ◽

10.1186/s13023-021-02117-4 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Katherine Ellis ◽

Jo Moss ◽

Chrysi Stefanidou ◽

Chris Oliver ◽

Ian Apperly

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Development ◽

Cognitive Abilities ◽

Cognitive Skills ◽

Social Cognitive ◽

Fragile X ◽

Underlying Mechanism ◽

Similar Degree ◽

Social Cognitive Development ◽

Cognitive Delay ◽

Cornelia De Lange

Abstract Background Cornelia de Lange (CdLS), Fragile X (FXS) and Rubinstein–Taybi syndromes (RTS) evidence unique profiles of autistic characteristics. To delineate these profiles further, the development of early social cognitive abilities in children with CdLS, FXS and RTS was compared to that observed in typically developing (TD) and autistic (AUT) children. Methods Children with CdLS (N = 22), FXS (N = 19) and RTS (N = 18), completed the Early Social Cognition Scale (ESCogS). Extant data from AUT (N = 19) and TD (N = 86) children were used for comparison. Results Similar to AUT children, children with CdLS, FXS and RTS showed an overall delay in passing ESCogS tasks. Children with CdLS showed a similar degree of delay to AUT children and greater delay than children with FXS and RTS. The CdLS, FXS and RTS groups did not pass tasks in the same sequence observed in TD and AUT children. Children with CdLS (p = 0.04), FXS (p = 0.02) and RTS (p = 0.04) performed better on tasks requiring understanding simple intentions in others significantly more than tasks requiring joint attention skills. Conclusions An underlying mechanism other than general cognitive delay may be disrupting early social cognitive development in children with CdLS, FXS and RTS. Factors that may disrupt early social cognitive development within these syndromes are discussed.

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Nuclear receptors in disease: the oestrogen receptors

Essays in Biochemistry ◽

10.1042/bse0400157 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 40 ◽

pp. 157-167 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Maria Nilsson ◽

Karin Dahlman-Wright ◽

Jan-Åke Gustafsson

Keyword(s):

Nuclear Receptors ◽

Target Genes ◽

Receptor Subtype ◽

Target Tissue ◽

Oestrogen Receptors ◽

Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽

Cell Type ◽

Single Nucleotide ◽

Beneficial Effects ◽

The Family

For several decades, it has been known that oestrogens are essential for human health. The discovery that there are two oestrogen receptors (ERs), ERalpha and ERbeta, has facilitated our understanding of how the hormone exerts its physiological effects. The ERs belong to the family of ligand-activated nuclear receptors, which act by modulating the expression of target genes. Studies of ER-knockout (ERKO) mice have been instrumental in defining the relevance of a given receptor subtype in a certain tissue. Phenotypes displayed by ERKO mice suggest diseases in which dysfunctional ERs might be involved in aetiology and pathology. Association between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in ER genes and disease have been demonstrated in several cases. Selective ER modulators (SERMs), which are selective with regard to their effects in a certain cell type, already exist. Since oestrogen has effects in many tissues, the goal with a SERM is to provide beneficial effects in one target tissue while avoiding side effects in others. Refined SERMs will, in the future, provide improved therapeutic strategies for existing and novel indications.

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Development of a simple method for the determination of single nucleotide polymorphisms

Cell Biology International ◽

10.1042/cbi034s075c ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 34 (8) ◽

pp. S75-S75

Author(s):

Weifeng Zhu ◽

Zhuoqi Liu ◽

Daya Luo ◽

Xinyao Wu ◽

Fusheng Wan

Keyword(s):

Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽

Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽

Simple Method ◽

Single Nucleotide

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A Case Study: Unique Challenges of an Adolescent Female With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups ◽

10.1044/2019_persp-19-00132 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

pp. 314-325

Author(s):

Kimberly F. Frazier ◽

Jessica Collier ◽

Rachel Glade

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Cognitive Abilities ◽

Social Cognitive ◽

Social Performance ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Self Management ◽

Adolescent Female ◽

Social Thinking

Background The aim of this study was to determine the clinical efficacy of combining self-management strategies and a social thinking approach to address the social performance and executive function of an adolescent female with autism spectrum disorder. Method This research examined the effects of a social knowledge training program, “Think Social,” as well as strategies to improve higher order cognitive abilities. Results and Conclusion Although quantitative improvement was not found, several qualitative gains in behavior were noted for the participants of this study, suggesting a benefit from using structured environmental cues of self-management strategies, as well as improved social understanding through social cognitive training.

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