Awake fMRI Reveals Mechanisms of Language Comprehension in Dogs

摘要: To what extent do dogs understand human language? At a basic level, lexical processing would require the differentiation of words from non-words, while semantic further recognition word meaning. determine level language processing, we trained 12 to retrieve two objects based on object names, then probed neural basis for these auditory representations using awake-fMRI. As control, compared response pseudowords versus words, and novel during fMRI scan. If lexically processed differential be predicted occur relative pseudowords. Moreover, if used there should difference in activation between words. In support found greater bilaterally parietotemporal cortex, but no However, multivoxel pattern analysis (MVPA) revealed statistically significant clusters informative voxels thalamus, left temporoparietal region, caudate nucleus. These results suggest different mechanism comprehension than humans. The dogs' cortex indicates an underlying bias novelty rather as object-referents, MVPA potential link words/sounds motor action.