More Evidence of Animal Emotions

I reported a while back on studies showing that dogs had the same oxytocin response to petting and sweet interaction that their people did.

Occasionally, in a research paper, scientists insert a paragraph or two implying or downright asserting that animals have emotions that are very like ours. Biologists define emotions as physiological states, and neuroscience is increasingly able to map the brain activity that correlates with these states.

From out of left field -- a report on fMRI studies of women with severe spinal cord injuries by Rutgers researchers Barry Komisaruk and Beverly Whipple -- comes a statement that rodents experience brain activity during genital stimulation that is very similar to those of humans during orgasm. From the study:

Although there is no evidence of orgasm in female rats, a number of
researchers have reported that some of the same-named brain regions
become activated during mating or vaginocervical stimulation. Thus,
using the c-fos immunocytochemical method in rats, activation was
reported in amygdala (Erskine & Hanrahan, 1997; Pfaus & Heeb, 1997;
Rowe & Erskine, 1993; Tetel, Getzinger, & Blaustein, 1993; Veening &
Coolen, 1998; Wersinger, Baum, & Erskine, 1993); paraventricular
nucleus of the hypothalamus (Pfaus & Heeb, 1997; Rowe & Erskine,
1993); medial preoptic area (Erskine & Hanrahan, 1997; Reyna-Neyra,
Camacho-Arroyo, Cerbon, & Gonzalez-Mariscal, 2000: Tetel et al., 1993;
Wersinger et al., 1993); midbrain central gray (Pfaus & Heeb, 1997; Tetel et al., 1993); and, based on local release of dopamine, the nucleus
accumbens (Pfaus, Damsma, Wenkstern, & Fibiger, 1995).

Okay, why is this in a blog about oxytocin? Oxytocin is involved in empathy -- our ability to create mental models of the emotional states of others. Information frequently helps in this endeavor, as well.

I have often wondered about animal orgasm and whether by neutering our pets we deprive them of an important activity. In fact, when I had my first dog spayed, I asked the vet about this, and he suggested leaving one ovary. He did so, but she still didn't come into heat, so she didn't get to enjoy sexual intercourse.

I asked about tubal ligation for my second dog, and the vet said they didn't do it, it created too many health problems down the line. (Which was alarming, since this procedure is done on humans all the time.)

In any case, sex is likely at least as gratifying for animals as it is for humans.

Comments

[Seth Corduan]

I just came across this blog and am very impressed. Keep up the good work. The only problem with sexual gratification for animals is that the chance of pregnancy is very high. Until they come up with canine contraceptives, we may have to continue to make the hard choice, for them.

[Susan Kuchinskas]

Thanks for the kind words, Seth. Re pet contraception, what about vasectomies for the males? I guess there would still be the issue of aggressive male behavior in dogs and cats. That durned testosterone!

[Seth Corduan]

To be honest, I'd never heard of a vasectomy for a dog. It's a thought. As far as aggression goes, it is my experience that testosterone is less of a problem than genetic predisposition (innate temperament) and environmental conditions (24 hour tie-outs, among other things.). So... maybe there is something to this canine vasectomy, thing... Although I will say that my spayed bitch (alpha) does not seem to have any significant mood or personality changes, even though she was spayed at 2 years old.

[Susan Kuchinskas]

and, I know from experience that having a female dog in at is extremely inconvenient. I didn't spay my first dog (in the late 60s) until she'd had several heats. We had male dogs camped out on our porch and breaking into the back yard.