Network analysis reveals abnormal functional brain circuitry in anxious dogs | JoVE Visualize

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Comparative Psychology
Veterinary Neurology

Background:

Anxiety is a prevalent psychiatric disorder in humans and a common neuropsychiatric issue in dogs.
Human neuroimaging studies suggest abnormal functional brain networks are implicated in anxiety.
This study investigates whether similar network topology changes occur in canine anxiety.

Purpose of the Study:

To compare functional brain network topology between healthy dogs and dogs exhibiting anxiety symptoms.
To identify specific brain regions and connections associated with anxiety in dogs.
To explore the correlation between brain network metrics and behavioral manifestations of anxiety in dogs.

Main Methods:

Resting-state functional MRI was used to acquire brain imaging data from 25 healthy dogs and 13 dogs with anxiety.
The Canine Behavioral Assessment & Research Questionnaire evaluated anxiety symptoms.
Graph theory analysis was applied to construct and compare functional brain networks.

Main Results:

No significant differences in global network topology were observed between the groups.
Dogs with anxiety showed significantly higher global and local efficiency and lower characteristic path length in the amygdala.
Increased connectivity was found in key anxiety-related circuits, including amygdala-hippocampus, amygdala-mesencephalon, amygdala-thalamus, frontal lobe-hippocampus, frontal lobe-thalamus, and hippocampus-thalamus.
Network metrics correlated significantly with specific anxiety behaviors, such as stranger-directed fear, excitability, attachment-seeking, trainability, touch sensitivity, and aggression.

Conclusions:

Canine anxiety is associated with aberrant topological organization within specific functional brain networks, particularly involving the amygdala and its connections.
These findings highlight potential neurobiological underpinnings of anxiety in dogs, mirroring some aspects observed in human anxiety disorders.
The study provides insights into how brain network alterations relate to observable anxiety-related behaviors in dogs, aiding in understanding and potentially managing canine anxiety.