Behavioural and physiological correlates of impulsivity in the domestic dog (Canis familiaris)

Abstract

Impulsivity is a trait related to inhibitory control which is expressed in a range of behaviours. Impulsive individuals show a decreased ability to tolerate delay of reinforcement, and more impulsive behaviour has been linked to decreased levels of serotonin and dopamine in a number of species. In domestic dogs, impulsivity is implicated in problem behaviours that result from a lack of self control, but currently there are no published studies that assess behavioural and physiological measures of impulsivity in relation to this trait. Impulsivity scores were calculated for 41 dogs using an owner-report assessment, the Dog Impulsivity Assessment Scale (DIAS).Twenty-three of these subjects completed an operant choice task based on a delayed reward paradigm, to assess their tolerance to delay of reinforcement. High Pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) with Fluorometric Detection was used to detect levels of the metabolites of serotonin (5-HIAA) and dopamine (HVA) in the urine of 17 of the subjects. Higher impulsivity scores were found to be significantly correlated with more impulsive behaviour (reduced tolerance to delay of reinforcement) in the behaviour tests and lower levels of urinary 5-HIAA and 5-HIAA/HVA ratio. The results demonstrate convergent validity between impulsivity (as assessed by the DIAS) and behavioural and physiological parameters.

Context specificity of inhibitory control in dogs

“…Moreover, a different study reported that high impulsivity is linked to lower levels of serotonin and dopamine in dogs, a phenomenon which has previously been reported in humans (Wright et al 2012). In light of our findings of behavioral differences across contexts, it would be instructive to see whether the neurobiological data also reflect differences in depletion and chemical levels depending upon context.…”

Is there a link between treatments with exogenous corticosteroids and dog behaviour problems?

“…The term does not imply a diagnosis of pathological hyperactivity associated with impaired attention as in humans beings (Blum and others 2008, Wright and others 2012), and a lower level of activity might also be related to a lower motivation to play and seeking rewards in general.…”

Age and impulsive behavior in drug addiction: A review of past research and future directions

“…Delay discounting procedures have also been studied using other non-human animals such as pigeons, rhesus monkeys, chimpanzees and bonobos (for review see Vanderveldt, Oliveira, & Green, 2016), and dogs (e.g. Wright, Mills, & Pollux, 2012) with response types such as pecking response keys, pressing response levers, and depressing wooden panels, respectively. There is a large literature concerning differences in delay discounting across mice and rats due to genetic variations (for review of both human and animal literature see MacKillop, 2013), and drug exposure (for review see Setlow, Mendez, Mitchell, & Simon, 2009).…”