Dopamine receptor D4 gene (DRD4) is associated with gazing toward humans in domestic dogs (<i>Canis familiaris</i>)

Dogs show high social communicative ability in interactions with humans. We investigated the association between dogs’ social communicative behavior and the polymorphisms of a gene related to a neurotransmitter. We used an “unsolvable task”, in which an experimenter put a food reward into a container and closed it firmly so that dogs could not remove the reward. Human-directed gazing, possibly to request help, is a characteristic behavioral trait of dogs in such situations. The association between owner-directed gazing behavior in the unsolvable task and polymorphisms of three regions (exon1, exon3, intron2) in the dopamine receptor D4 gene (DRD4) was analyzed. We found that the genotype of DRD4 intron2 was significantly associated with the dogs’ gazing behavior. Dogs carrying shorter allele (P) looked at their owner more frequently, for longer, and earlier than dogs carrying longer allele (Q). This result suggests that polymorphism in DRD4 intron2 may affect social communication and cognition in dogs.

身体指向性与时间秩序

在《身体与世界》(Body and World)一书中,托兹(Samuel Todes)论证,在我们的身体运动与时间表征之间有一种结构性和功能性关联:凭借我们前后不对称的身体有方向的运动,我们将时间表征为一个统一的、单向的过去-现在-未来结构的连续统。托兹的观点实际上构成了具身认知的一个深刻实例。对于"认知以什么方式依赖于身体?"这一问题,这种观点提供了一个明确的答案:认知者的身体结构和认知结构之间存在一种结构性和功能性关联。我将梳理和重构托兹的论证,并阐明这种观点对于我们理解认知具有的意义。