Skip to main content

Umbrella menu

  • SfN.org
  • eNeuro
  • The Journal of Neuroscience
  • Neuronline
  • BrainFacts.org

Main menu

  • HOME
  • CONTENT
    • Early Release
    • Featured
    • Current Issue
    • Issue Archive
    • Collections
  • ALERTS
  • FOR AUTHORS
    • Preparing a Manuscript
    • Submission Guidelines
    • Fees
    • Journal Club
    • eLetters
    • Submit
  • EDITORIAL BOARD
  • ABOUT
    • Overview
    • Advertise
    • For the Media
    • Rights and Permissions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Feedback
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • SfN.org
  • eNeuro
  • The Journal of Neuroscience
  • Neuronline
  • BrainFacts.org

User menu

  • Log in
  • Subscribe
  • My alerts

Search

  • Advanced search
Journal of Neuroscience
  • Log in
  • Subscribe
  • My alerts
Journal of Neuroscience

Advanced Search

Submit a Manuscript
  • HOME
  • CONTENT
    • Early Release
    • Featured
    • Current Issue
    • Issue Archive
    • Collections
  • ALERTS
  • FOR AUTHORS
    • Preparing a Manuscript
    • Submission Guidelines
    • Fees
    • Journal Club
    • eLetters
    • Submit
  • EDITORIAL BOARD
  • ABOUT
    • Overview
    • Advertise
    • For the Media
    • Rights and Permissions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Feedback
  • SUBSCRIBE
PreviousNext
Cover ArticleResearch Articles, Behavioral/Cognitive

Significant Neuroanatomical Variation Among Domestic Dog Breeds

Erin E. Hecht, Jeroen B. Smaers, William D. Dunn, Marc Kent, Todd M. Preuss and David A. Gutman
Journal of Neuroscience 25 September 2019, 39 (39) 7748-7758; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0303-19.2019
Erin E. Hecht
1Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138,
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Erin E. Hecht
Jeroen B. Smaers
2Department of Anthropology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794,
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
William D. Dunn
3Departmentt of Neurology, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30329,
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Marc Kent
4Department of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, The University of Georgia at Athens, Athens, Georgia 30602,
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Marc Kent
Todd M. Preuss
5Division of Neuropharmacology and Neurologic Diseases and Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Yerkes National Primate Research Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30329,
6Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30329, and
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • ORCID record for Todd M. Preuss
David A. Gutman
7Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30329
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • Article
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Metrics
  • eLetters
  • PDF
Loading

Article Figures & Data

Figures

  • Tables
  • Extended Data
  • Figure 1.
    • Download figure
    • Open in new tab
    • Download powerpoint
    Figure 1.

    Neuroanatomical variation in domestic dogs. A, MRI images and 3D reconstructions of warped template from 10 selected dogs of different breeds. Images are public-domain photos from Wikimedia Commons. B, Unbiased group-average template for this dataset. See Figure 1-1, and Figure 1-2 for processing schematics. Neuroanatomical labels (based on Palazzi, 2011; Datta et al., 2012, Evans and de Lahunta, 2013) are as follows: (a) olfactory peduncle; (b) orbital (presylvian) gyrus; (c) proreal gyrus; (d) pre cruciate gyrus; (e) postcruciate gyrus; (f) marginal (lateral) gyrus; (g) ectomarginal gyrus; (h) suprasylvian gyrus; (i) ectosylvian gyrus; (j) sylvian gyrus; (k) insular cortex; and (l) piriform lobe. C, Brain-wide morphological variation, regardless of breed, as indexed by the SD of all dogs' Jacobian determinant images. D, A Monte Carlo permutation test on demeaned gray matter Jacobian determinant images revealed that much of gray matter shows significant deviation from group-mean morphology. Colored regions are all p < 0.05 after multiple-comparisons correction; t-statistic values are illustrated.

  • Figure 2.
    • Download figure
    • Open in new tab
    • Download powerpoint
    Figure 2.

    pGLS analyses on gross brain, body, and skull measurements. A, Brain volume versus body mass. B, Neurocephalic index vesus cephalic index. Plotted points represent breed averages, not individuals.

  • Figure 3.
    • Download figure
    • Open in new tab
    • Download powerpoint
    Figure 3.

    Covarying regional networks in dog brain morphology. Independent components analysis revealed six regional networks where morphology covaried significantly across individuals. Red and blue regions are volumetrically anticorrelated: in individuals where red is larger, blue tends to be smaller, and vice versa. Graphs represent volumetric quantification of the top five anatomical constituents of each of the two portions of each component.

  • Figure 4.
    • Download figure
    • Open in new tab
    • Download powerpoint
    Figure 4.

    Relationship between morphologically covarying regional brain networks and phylogenetic tree. Circles indicate factor loading. (Phylogenetic tree is from Parker et al., 2017.)

  • Figure 5.
    • Download figure
    • Open in new tab
    • Download powerpoint
    Figure 5.

    Relationship between morphologically covarying regional brain networks and ostensible behavioral specializations. Colors indicate partial correlation coefficients resulting from multiple regression analysis on source-based morphometry results. Outlined boxes are significant at p < 0.05.

Tables

  • Figures
  • Extended Data
    • View popup
    Table 1.

    Data for all dogs used in the study

    IDBreedSexAge (years)Body mass (kg)Cephalic index (from database)Neuro-cephalic indexBrain volume (mm3)Ostensible behavioral specialization/purpose
    1Basset houndMale4.028.10.7451.89100070.10Scent hunting
    2BeagleMale14.317.00.7461.8282750.29Scent hunting
    3BeagleMale4.011.70.7661.8264887.65Scent hunting
    4BeagleMaleND28.50.8561.8223259.63Scent hunting
    5BeagleMale4.08.30.8261.8266733.96Scent hunting
    6BeagleMale1.728.50.7861.8265738.93Scent hunting
    7Bichon friseMale9.09.30.8061.5161849.71Explicit companionship
    8Border collieMale6.128.20.6554.3883215.10Herding
    9Border collieMale5.620.60.6554.3881668.60Herding
    10Boston terrierMale11.912.50.9092.6266301.82Explicit companionship
    Vermin control
    Sport fighting
    11Boston terrierMale5.88.90.9092.6276426.61Explicit companionship
    Vermin control
    Sport fighting
    12BoxerMale8.131.80.6867.1981555.33Guarding/protecting/sentinel work
    Police/military work, war
    Sport fighting
    13BoxerMale5.034.20.6767.1980814.97Guarding/protecting/sentinel work
    Police/military work, war
    Sport fighting
    14BoxerFemale10.731.80.8366.2893337.26Guarding/protecting/sentinel work
    Police/military work, war
    Sport fighting
    15BoxerMale9.340.80.7067.1982323.66Guarding/protecting/sentinel work
    Police/military work, war
    Sport fighting
    16BulldogMale1.016.80.7490.1863154.13Explicit companionship
    Sport fighting
    17BulldogMale4.430.00.7790.1880128.00Explicit companionship
    Sport fighting
    18Cavalier King Charles spanielFemale0.53.20.8176.7755777.97Explicit companionship
    19Cavalier King Charles spanielFemale0.514.50.9276.7764695.16Explicit companionship
    20Cocker spanielFemale6.418.10.7561.0166708.41Bird retrieval
    21DachshundFemale11.34.90.7951.7644076.29Vermin control
    Scent hunting
    22DachshundFemale6.66.40.7751.7660492.56Vermin control
    Scent hunting
    23DachshundMale7.85.60.8149.5957168.79Vermin control
    Scent hunting
    24DachshundFemale1.85.30.8151.7649716.87Vermin control
    Scent hunting
    25Doberman pinscherFemale4.729.80.6246.9680287.44Guarding/protecting/sentinel work
    Police/military work, war
    26English PointerMale7.327.30.74ND91448.24Bird retrieval
    27German short-haired pointerFemale6.227.00.7348.3075612.46Bird retrieval
    28Golden retrieverMale10.039.80.6956.5296010.49Bird retrieval
    29Golden retrieverMale6.042.20.7056.5296941.92Bird retrieval
    30Golden retrieverMale11.034.90.6856.5286438.69Bird retrieval
    31GreyhoundFemale7.536.70.6545.8397610.47Sight hunting
    32GreyhoundMale3.837.10.6546.8497774.89Sight hunting
    33GreyhoundFemale2.236.00.6645.83101969.38Sight hunting
    34Jack Russell terrierMaleND14.00.8059.2870125.35Vermin control
    35KeeshondMale7.221.60.7160.1868766.94Explicit companionship
    Guarding/protecting/sentinel work
    36Labrador retrieverMale9.732.60.6555.8294762.33Bird retrieval
    37Labrador retrieverFemale5.030.50.6656.1184161.70Bird retrieval
    38Lhasa apsoFemale10.713.20.93ND58177.18Guarding/protecting/sentinel work
    39Lhasa apsoFemale4.07.60.86ND58152.92Guarding/protecting/sentinel work
    40MalteseMale6.66.00.8165.2946642.03Explicit companionship
    41MalteseMale10.03.00.8465.2935280.20Explicit companionship
    42MalteseMale5.56.60.7765.2946629.97Explicit companionship
    43MalteseMale6.08.90.8865.2947610.27Explicit companionship
    44MalteseFemale6.02.00.9268.8328052.45Explicit companionship
    45MalteseFemale4.93.40.8568.8346330.73Explicit companionship
    46Miniature schnauzerMale9.412.80.7751.7962053.63Vermin control
    47Miniature schnauzerFemale6.35.00.8054.9953517.22Vermin control
    48Old English sheepdogMale3.733.10.6954.3980709.26Herding
    49Pit bullMale2.127.10.7269.9680571.31Sport fighting
    50Siberian huskyFemale3.018.10.6755.1762094.04Running/racing
    51Silky terrierMale3.04.40.8458.2346832.08Vermin control
    52Springer spanielFemale1.118.40.7549.3472442.26Bird retrieval
    53Standard poodleFemale7.922.60.73ND80235.75Bird retrieval
    54WeimaranerMale3.348.40.6649.05110812.36Sight hunting
    55Welsh corgiMale5.615.10.7263.0983234.19Herding
    56West highland white terrierMale5.911.00.7860.8472254.08Vermin control
    57Wheaton terrierMale7.019.20.71ND70234.47Guarding/protecting/sentinel work
    Herding
    Vermin control
    Bird retrieval
    58WhippetFemale15.513.60.7250.6071357.64Sight hunting
    59Yorkshire terrierFemale3.83.90.82ND45103.02Explicit companionship
    Vermin control
    60Yorkshire terrierMale13.04.20.81ND45217.54Explicit companionship
    Vermin control
    61Yorkshire terrierMale0.83.50.79ND38163.05Explicit companionship
    Vermin control
    62Yorkshire terrierMale11.53.20.82ND51760.84Explicit companionship
    Vermin control
    • Dogs from mixed/unknown breeds were excluded from analyses that used breed group as an independent variable. Cephalic indices are sex- and breed-specific averages from a large public database (Stone et al., 2016).

    • ND, No data.

Extended Data

  • Figures
  • Tables
  • Figure 1-1

    Conceptual schematic of neuroimaging analysis. Download Figure 1-1, TIF file

  • Figure 1-2

    NiPype pipeline for merging axial and sagittal images from each dog before registration to the template. Code is available online at https://gist.github.com/dgutman/a0e05028fab9c6509a997f703a1c7413. Download Figure 1-2, TIF file

Back to top

In this issue

The Journal of Neuroscience: 39 (39)
Journal of Neuroscience
Vol. 39, Issue 39
25 Sep 2019
  • Table of Contents
  • Table of Contents (PDF)
  • About the Cover
  • Index by author
  • Advertising (PDF)
  • Ed Board (PDF)
Email

Thank you for sharing this Journal of Neuroscience article.

NOTE: We request your email address only to inform the recipient that it was you who recommended this article, and that it is not junk mail. We do not retain these email addresses.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Significant Neuroanatomical Variation Among Domestic Dog Breeds
(Your Name) has forwarded a page to you from Journal of Neuroscience
(Your Name) thought you would be interested in this article in Journal of Neuroscience.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Print
View Full Page PDF
Article Alerts
Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Citation Tools
Significant Neuroanatomical Variation Among Domestic Dog Breeds
Erin E. Hecht, Jeroen B. Smaers, William D. Dunn, Marc Kent, Todd M. Preuss, David A. Gutman
Journal of Neuroscience 25 September 2019, 39 (39) 7748-7758; DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0303-19.2019

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Respond to this article
Request Permissions
Share
Significant Neuroanatomical Variation Among Domestic Dog Breeds
Erin E. Hecht, Jeroen B. Smaers, William D. Dunn, Marc Kent, Todd M. Preuss, David A. Gutman
Journal of Neuroscience 25 September 2019, 39 (39) 7748-7758; DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0303-19.2019
del.icio.us logo Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo CiteULike logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One

Jump to section

  • Article
    • Abstract
    • Introduction
    • Materials and Methods
    • Results
    • Discussion
    • Footnotes
    • References
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Metrics
  • eLetters
  • PDF

Keywords

  • canines
  • dogs
  • evolution
  • morphology
  • MRI
  • selective breeding

Responses to this article

Respond to this article

Jump to comment:

No eLetters have been published for this article.

Related Articles

Cited By...

More in this TOC Section

Research Articles

  • Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation in Humans Induces Pupil Dilation and Attenuates Alpha Oscillations
  • Arrangement of Excitatory Synaptic Inputs on Dendrites of the Medial Superior Olive
  • Entopeduncular Nucleus Projections to the Lateral Habenula Contribute to Cocaine Avoidance
Show more Research Articles

Behavioral/Cognitive

  • Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation in Humans Induces Pupil Dilation and Attenuates Alpha Oscillations
  • Arrangement of Excitatory Synaptic Inputs on Dendrites of the Medial Superior Olive
  • Entopeduncular Nucleus Projections to the Lateral Habenula Contribute to Cocaine Avoidance
Show more Behavioral/Cognitive
  • Home
  • Alerts
  • Visit Society for Neuroscience on Facebook
  • Follow Society for Neuroscience on Twitter
  • Follow Society for Neuroscience on LinkedIn
  • Visit Society for Neuroscience on Youtube
  • Follow our RSS feeds

Content

  • Early Release
  • Current Issue
  • Issue Archive
  • Collections

Information

  • For Authors
  • For Advertisers
  • For the Media
  • For Subscribers

About

  • About the Journal
  • Editorial Board
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Feedback
(JNeurosci logo)
(SfN logo)

Copyright © 2021 by the Society for Neuroscience.
JNeurosci Online ISSN: 1529-2401

The ideas and opinions expressed in JNeurosci do not necessarily reflect those of SfN or the JNeurosci Editorial Board. Publication of an advertisement or other product mention in JNeurosci should not be construed as an endorsement of the manufacturer’s claims. SfN does not assume any responsibility for any injury and/or damage to persons or property arising from or related to any use of any material contained in JNeurosci.