Structural connectome alterations in anxious dogs: a DTI-based study
Abstract Anxiety and fear are dysfunctional behaviors commonly observed in domesticated dogs. Although dogs and humans share psychopathological similarities, little is known about how dysfunctional fear behaviors are represented in brain networks in dogs diagnosed with anxiety disorders. A combinati...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-37121-0 |
| _version_ | 1797795722850992128 |
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| author | Qinyuan Chen Yangfeng Xu Emma Christiaen Guo-Rong Wu Sara De Witte Christian Vanhove Jimmy Saunders Kathelijne Peremans Chris Baeken |
| author_facet | Qinyuan Chen Yangfeng Xu Emma Christiaen Guo-Rong Wu Sara De Witte Christian Vanhove Jimmy Saunders Kathelijne Peremans Chris Baeken |
| author_sort | Qinyuan Chen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Anxiety and fear are dysfunctional behaviors commonly observed in domesticated dogs. Although dogs and humans share psychopathological similarities, little is known about how dysfunctional fear behaviors are represented in brain networks in dogs diagnosed with anxiety disorders. A combination of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and graph theory was used to investigate the underlying structural connections of dysfunctional anxiety in anxious dogs and compared with healthy dogs with normal behavior. The degree of anxiety was assessed using the Canine Behavioral Assessment & Research Questionnaire (C-BARQ), a widely used, validated questionnaire for abnormal behaviors in dogs. Anxious dogs showed significantly decreased clustering coefficient ( $${C}_{p}$$ C p ), decreased global efficiency ( $${E}_{glob}$$ E glob ), and increased small-worldness (σ) when compared with healthy dogs. The nodal parameters that differed between the anxious dogs and healthy dogs were mainly located in the posterior part of the brain, including the occipital lobe, posterior cingulate gyrus, hippocampus, mesencephalon, and cerebellum. Furthermore, the nodal degree ( $${K}_{i}$$ K i ) of the left cerebellum was significantly negatively correlated with “excitability” in the C-BARQ of anxious dogs. These findings could contribute to the understanding of a disrupted brain structural connectome underlying the pathological mechanisms of anxiety-related disorders in dogs. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T03:22:20Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8b583b8bc4774dad983e312d0de6665f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T03:22:20Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-8b583b8bc4774dad983e312d0de6665f2023-06-25T11:14:47ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222023-06-0113111110.1038/s41598-023-37121-0Structural connectome alterations in anxious dogs: a DTI-based studyQinyuan Chen0Yangfeng Xu1Emma Christiaen2Guo-Rong Wu3Sara De Witte4Christian Vanhove5Jimmy Saunders6Kathelijne Peremans7Chris Baeken8Ghent Experimental Psychiatry (GHEP) Lab, Department of Head and Skin, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent UniversityGhent Experimental Psychiatry (GHEP) Lab, Department of Head and Skin, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent UniversityMedical Image and Signal Processing (MEDISIP), Department of Electronics and Information Systems, Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Ghent UniversityKey Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Faculty of Psychology, Southwest UniversityGhent Experimental Psychiatry (GHEP) Lab, Department of Head and Skin, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent UniversityMedical Image and Signal Processing (MEDISIP), Department of Electronics and Information Systems, Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Ghent UniversityDepartment of Morphology, Imaging, Orthopedics, Rehabilitation and Nutrition, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent UniversityDepartment of Morphology, Imaging, Orthopedics, Rehabilitation and Nutrition, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent UniversityGhent Experimental Psychiatry (GHEP) Lab, Department of Head and Skin, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent UniversityAbstract Anxiety and fear are dysfunctional behaviors commonly observed in domesticated dogs. Although dogs and humans share psychopathological similarities, little is known about how dysfunctional fear behaviors are represented in brain networks in dogs diagnosed with anxiety disorders. A combination of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and graph theory was used to investigate the underlying structural connections of dysfunctional anxiety in anxious dogs and compared with healthy dogs with normal behavior. The degree of anxiety was assessed using the Canine Behavioral Assessment & Research Questionnaire (C-BARQ), a widely used, validated questionnaire for abnormal behaviors in dogs. Anxious dogs showed significantly decreased clustering coefficient ( $${C}_{p}$$ C p ), decreased global efficiency ( $${E}_{glob}$$ E glob ), and increased small-worldness (σ) when compared with healthy dogs. The nodal parameters that differed between the anxious dogs and healthy dogs were mainly located in the posterior part of the brain, including the occipital lobe, posterior cingulate gyrus, hippocampus, mesencephalon, and cerebellum. Furthermore, the nodal degree ( $${K}_{i}$$ K i ) of the left cerebellum was significantly negatively correlated with “excitability” in the C-BARQ of anxious dogs. These findings could contribute to the understanding of a disrupted brain structural connectome underlying the pathological mechanisms of anxiety-related disorders in dogs.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-37121-0 |
| spellingShingle | Qinyuan Chen Yangfeng Xu Emma Christiaen Guo-Rong Wu Sara De Witte Christian Vanhove Jimmy Saunders Kathelijne Peremans Chris Baeken Structural connectome alterations in anxious dogs: a DTI-based study Scientific Reports |
| title | Structural connectome alterations in anxious dogs: a DTI-based study |
| title_full | Structural connectome alterations in anxious dogs: a DTI-based study |
| title_fullStr | Structural connectome alterations in anxious dogs: a DTI-based study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Structural connectome alterations in anxious dogs: a DTI-based study |
| title_short | Structural connectome alterations in anxious dogs: a DTI-based study |
| title_sort | structural connectome alterations in anxious dogs a dti based study |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-37121-0 |
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