Animal presence modulates frontal brain activity of patients in a minimally conscious state: A pilot study

Abstract

Integrating animals into therapy is applied increasingly in patients in a minimally conscious state (MCS). This pilot study investigates the effect of animal presence on frontal brain activity in MCS patients compared to healthy subjects. O 2 HB, HHb and tHb of two MCS patients and two healthy adults was measured in frontal cortex using functional near-infrared spectroscopy during three sessions with a live animal and three sessions with a mechanical toy animal present. Each session had five phases: (1) baseline, (2) watching animal, (3) passive contact, (4) active contact, (5) neutral. Data were descriptively analysed. All participants showed the largest hemodynamic response during direct contact with the live or toy animal compared to "baseline" and "watching." During active contact, three of the four participants showed a stronger response when stroking the live compared to the toy animal. All participants showed an inverted signal with higher HHb than O 2 Hb concentrations while stroking the live or toy animal. Animal contact leads to a neurovascular reaction in both MCS patients and healthy subjects, indicating elevated neural activity in the frontal cortex. We conclude that while a toy animal can elicit attention processes, active contact to a living animal is combined with emotional processes.

Effects of contact with a dog on prefrontal brain activity: A controlled trial

“…This confirms our first hypothesis that more stimulation correlates with higher brain activity. It also corroborates previous studies linking closer contact with animals or control stimuli with increased frontal brain activation [ 24 , 25 , 27 ].…”

“…This result is in line with previous studies. An fNIRS pilot study with patients in a minimally conscious state and healthy controls found that three of four participants showed a higher hemodynamic response when stroking a live animal (dog, rabbit, or guinea pig) compared to stroking a mechanical toy [ 27 ]. Children who underwent a 20-min session with a therapy dog after surgery showed faster electroencephalogram diffuse beta activity, while children in the control group who received standard postoperative care showed no beta activity [ 41 ].…”

“…We chose fNIRS to measure the response in the prefrontal cortex as it is particularly suited for investigating the neuronal correlates of such a complex social situation of human–animal interaction. fNIRS has been used as a noninvasive technique to measure brain activity within the context of human–animal interactions [ 24 , 25 , 27 , 40 , 41 ]. Compared to functional magnetic-resonance imaging (fMRI) or PET, participants are not confined to a scanner but can sit or stand during measurements.…”

“…Moreover, children showed higher activity in the prefrontal cortex in an attention task after interacting with a dog than after interacting with a robot dog [ 26 ]. Similarly, in a small pilot study, participants had a stronger brain reaction to a live animal than to a mechanical toy animal [ 27 ]. While these studies provide first insights into neurological correlates of the human–animal interaction, additional research is needed to understand what happens in different forms of human–animal interactions.…”

Effects of animal-assisted psychotherapy incorporating mindfulness and self-compassion in neurorehabilitation: a randomized controlled feasibility trial

“…In another study, the authors showed that dog-assisted therapy for children with severe neurological impairments predominantly leads to experiencing fun, establishing contact, communication and relaxation 39 . Animal-presence seems to also enhance emotional involvement of patients in a minimally conscious state 56 , 57 . Altogether, our results show that animal-assistance in psychotherapy can have substantial process-based effects within-sessions.…”