Aging Research Banks on Manâs Best Friend in Life and Death
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May 17, 2021
The aging process and the emergence of neurological pathologies span many years in humans. Yet, it is challenging to investigate the initial steps of aging and neurodegenerative processes because most donors of brain samples who exhibit no symptoms are not diagnosed at early stages of disease due to the lack of effective screening. These are some of the main reasons why scientists are turning to short-lived model organisms to study aging.
The Hungarian Canine Brain and Tissue Bank (CBTB) was established by the research team of the Senior Family Dog Project in 2017 to address this need. Although dogs have a much shorter lifespan than humans, the aging process of the two species has remarkable similarities. For instance, dogs tend to develop age-related diseases such as dementia, which is not typical for most other animals.
Credit: Photo: Eniko Kubinyi / Eötvös Loránd University
Two recent papers from Hungarian researchers highlight the so far underrated relevance of pet dog biobanking in molecular research and introduce their initiative to make pioneering steps in this field. The Hungarian Canine Brain and Tissue Bank (CBTB) was established by the research team of the Senior Family Dog Project in 2017, following the examples of human tissue banks. In a recent paper, the team reports findings, which would not have been possible without the CBTB, and may augment further progress in dog aging and biomarker research.
Even though dogs have a much shorter average lifespan than humans, the aging path of the two species has remarkable similarities. Hence our best friends have attracted the attention of aging researchers. Most importantly, dogs tend to develop similar age-related diseases as humans do, including dementia, which is not typical for most other animal species. However, not every human or dog
May 05, 2021 06:00 PM EDT
For generations, dogs have been referred to as man s best friend for a certain reason. In some way, dogs are just effortlessly winning people s affection. Studies say one of the greatest factors responsible for dog-human bonding was through eye contact.
Something in your dog s gaze just makes you communicate with them easily. What most people are not aware of, dogs take eye contact seriously and they are sensitive to this cue. It also indicates their attention focus, enabling them to communicate with human. However, a study confirmed this differs among dog breeds.
(Photo : Photo by Kat Jayne from Pexels)
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VIDEO: Title: Shorter headed dogs, visually cooperative breeds, younger and playful dogs form eye contact faster with an unfamiliar human
Authors: Zsófia Bognár, Dóra Szabó, Alexandra Deés, Enik? Kubinyi
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-88702-w
Journal: Scientific Reports. view more
Credit: Video: Zsofia Bognar
Eye contact plays a fundamental role in human communication and relationships. When we look into each other s eyes, we show that we are paying attention to each other. However, we do not only look at each other but also at our four-legged companions. According to new research by Hungarian ethologists, at least four independent traits affect dogs ability to establish eye contact with humans. Short-headed, cooperative, young, and playful dogs are the most likely to look into the human eye.