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Interacting and petting
animals, specifically dogs, creates a hormonal response
in humans that can help fight depression. Photo by MU Publications
and Alumni Communication
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Pet
Puppies
for Good Health
By Christian Basi
The next time a dog comes bounding up to you
for a wet, sloppy kiss and a good belly rub, don’t back
away. In an ongoing study, a University of Missouri-Columbia researcher
has found that interacting and petting animals creates a hormonal
response in humans that can help fight depression.
“Our preliminary results indicate that
levels of serotonin, a hormone in humans that helps fight depression,
rise dramatically after interaction with live animals, specifically
dogs,” said Rebecca Johnson, MU professor of nursing
and veterinary medicine,
who presented these initial findings at the Companion Animals:
Fountains of Health conference at Barcelona Autonomous University
last month. “This hormone is critical in the psychological
well-being of an individual. In addition, we have discovered that
there is no substitute for the real thing.”
In her study, Johnson, along with Richard
Meadows, clinical associate professor of veterinary medicine,
is asking dog owners and non-pet owners to play with a live animal
or a robot dog for a few minutes at a time. Johnson draws blood
from the human and the dog before and after the interaction and
then compares the blood for hormone levels. People taking part
in the study ranged in age from 19 to 73. Preliminary results
indicate a significant increase in the levels of serotonin following
interaction with the live dog, Johnson said.
“In addition to serotonin, we also are
seeing increases in the amounts of prolactin and oxytocin, more
of those ‘feel good’ hormones,” Johnson said.
“Our research also is trying to determine what types of
people would best benefit from being with animals. By showing
this benefit, we can help pet-assisted therapy become a medically
accepted intervention that might be prescribed to patients.”
“One previous study done in South Africa
by Dr. Johannes Odendaal looked at less parameters than the current
study, and it also found that the interactions were beneficial
for both the people and the dogs,” Meadows said. “We
expect to see the same benefit to the canines in our study—good
for the dogs and the people—a true ‘win-win’
situation.”
The study also indicates that interacting
with the robot dog actually decreases levels of serotonin in humans.
These preliminary findings could be helpful to psychologists or
psychiatrists who want to complement their treatment to a patient
suffering from depression, Johnson said. The researchers expect
to have final results of the study in the fall.
“We also need to study how the animals
react to this attention,” Johnson said. “It’s
important to know when we take dogs to nursing homes or hospitals
for therapy if they are feeling any kind of stress. We need to
find the right balance where both animals and humans can benefit
from interacting with each other.”
The VPI Skeeter Foundation from Veterinary
Pet Insurance sponsored the study with a $125,000 grant.
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Last Update:
July 2, 2009
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