The mother's brain clearly shows a similar reaction with her child and pet

ByPenn State

In recent years, awareness about the symbiotic relationship between people and pets has increased, and the importance of pets as life partners is becoming more important. Meanwhile, research results published in the United States revealed that there are parts in the human brain that show a common reaction when touching their children and pets.

Mothers' brains show similar responses to her baby and her dog | Harvard Gazette
http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2014/10/mothers-brains-show-similar-responses-to-her-baby-and-her-dog/

It was the related medical institution of Harvard University in the United States that conducted researchMassachusetts General HospitalResearch team. Studies were conducted on how we perceive the relationship between ourselves and our children and ourselves by observing the brain reactions when human women showed pictures of their children and pets It was.

ByThomas Lillis IV

Dr. Lori Palley of the Massachusetts General Hospital / Comparative Medicine Center, who is a co-author of the veterinary medicine and the co-author of the paper said, "Pets have special places in the minds of their owners, and in clinical and academic studies, pets It is confirmed that there is a physical, social and health benefit by interacting with the pet, "he says to elucidate the relationship with pets in the field of brain science. From conventional research, it is also possible to treat pets in the brainOxytocinAlthough it was clarified that hormones such as hormone and other hormones increase, this time was aimed at knowing what kind of motion actually occurs in the brain by the new brain imaging technology.

For the verification, one or more children between 2 and 10 years old and a woman with one or more pet dogs who lived together for more than two years participated, the contact between the woman and the pet, and the contact between the woman and the child An experiment comparing the reactions occurred was done. The research team divided the verification into two stages of sessions. In the first session, a research team visited the subject's home and conducted a questionnaire survey asking the relationship with children and pets. Furthermore, pictures taken together with pets and children in the house were taken.

The following second session is carried out in the facility of the Massachusetts General Hospital and it is possible to measure the blood flow and the amount of oxygen in the brainFMRIDetailed investigation was carried out using equipment. The subject lying on the bed of fMRI, firstly a picture of her child and pet, then a picture of a child and a pet of another participant, we measure the reaction in the brain that occurred at each time.

ByJanne Moren

Together with 16 mothers participating in the series of verifications, detailed analyzes were conducted based on the data of 14 men. As a result of verifying the image data, it was revealed that there are both similarities and differences between the parts in the reaction in the brain when showing pictures of their children and pets.

At multiple sites where we knew about emotion, cognition, visual processing and so on within the brain, active reactions were observed in both cases of children and pets, while on the other hand concerning the sense of connectionNigra(SNi) andVentral tegmental area(VTA), it was revealed that the reaction increased only when looking at the picture of the child. Conversely, it is thought that it is responsible for recognition of the faceFusiform spindleThe reaction became active at the site of the pet when showing pictures of the pet rather than the child.

About this research result Luke Stoeckel of the research team, "The number of data is limited, but from this result there is a neural network that commonly enhances activities when showing pictures of children and pets "While revealing the significance, at the same time, as to the cause of the change in the reacting part depending on the viewing subject," When the picture of the child was seen, the substantia nigra and the ventral dental cortex became active The field that controls the sense of connection, and that when the pet's picture was seen, the activation of the spindle-shaped turn indicates that in the case of a pet, the reaction by appearance is intensifying rather than language I can think about it. "

ByDaniele Oberti

Since the data in the brain obtained by the fMRI used in this verification is indirect, it is expected that more direct verification will be carried out in the future, at the same time, the number of samples is increased "It is necessary to verify what kind of results will be obtained in" women who do not have children "," father "" parent adopted, "and" animals other than dogs ".