Domestication has been linked to profound behavioral and cognitive changes in dogs, but its impact on brain structure remains less clear. To explore this, Grewal et al. (2020) used quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to examine cortical folding, known as the gyrification index (GI), across 19 carnivore species, including six wild canids and 13 domestic dogs.
The study found that dogs’ GI values largely matched expectations for canids of their brain size. However, domestic dogs displayed greater variability compared to wild canids, reflecting the influence of artificial selection and diverse breed morphologies. Importantly, GI was positively correlated with cortical surface area, cortical thickness, and gray matter volume, supporting its role as a functional neural marker.
While no global differences were observed between wild and domestic canids, regional differences in cortical folding emerged, suggesting localized effects of domestication. These findings add to the understanding of how evolutionary processes, including domestication, may have subtly shaped the neural architecture underlying dogs’ unique social and cognitive traits.
Source: Grewal, J. S., Gloe, T., Hegedus, J., Bitterman, K., Billings, B., Chengetanai, S., Bentil, S., Wang, V. X., Ng, J., Tang, C. Y., Geletta, S., Wicinski, B., Bertelson, M., Tendler, B. C., Mars, R., Aguirre, G., Rusbridge, C., Hof, P., Sherwood, C., … Spocter, M. A. (2020). Brain gyrification in wild and domestic canids: Has domestication changed the gyrification index in domestic dogs? Journal of Comparative Neurology, 528, 3209–3228. Publication Date: June 27, 2020. References: 107. Citations: 13.
