No abstract

11Recent studies have shown that the neuropeptide oxytocin is involved in the regulation of several complex 12 human social behaviours. There is, however, little research on the effect of oxytocin on basic mechanisms 13 underlying human sociality, such as the perception of biological motion. In the present study we investigated the 14 effect of oxytocin on biological motion perception in dogs (Canis familiaris), a species adapted to the human 15 social environment and thus widely used to model many aspects of human social behaviour. In a within-subjects 16 design, dogs (N=39), after having received either oxytocin or placebo treatment, were presented with 2D 17 projection of a moving point-light human figure and the inverted and scrambled version of the same movie. 18Heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) were measured as physiological responses, behavioural 25in turn played a role in subjectsʼ looking behaviour. We discuss how these findings contribute to our 26 understanding of the neurohormonal regulatory mechanisms of human (and nonhuman) social skills.