Amazing what dog ownership does to the brains of people over 65

New research suggests that long-term dog ownership may help to counteract the onset of the dreaded diseases of old age and the intensity of symptoms of dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

People are living longer and longer, but this has its drawbacks. Unfortunately, as a consequence, diseases associated with a decline in mental capacity are a major problem for older people. These diseases are classified as progressive, incurable neurological syndromes; they cause irreversible memory loss and impaired cognitive abilities. They have a serious impact on the patient, but also on the immediate environment and relatives. It is no wonder that every effort is being made to reduce the chances of developing them. Let’s see how how the dog-human relationship can the impact of the dog on the risk of dementia and and Alzheimer’s disease.

Dementia is not inevitable!

Research suggests that around a third of dementia cases are due to controllable or modifiable causes, including physical inactivity, social isolation, cardiovascular disease, depression and chronic stress. To reduce the effects of dementia researchers are studying lifestyle habits that can reduce the likelihood or severity of these conditions. This is where dog ownership comes in. Living with pets has been shown to be beneficial for our physical and mental well-being.

Of course, we already know this, we have written about it in countless cases and contexts. But when you put it all together, a startling list comes to mind. Dog ownership is the better cardiovascular health, reduced feelings of loneliness and a lower likelihood of depression. A pet dog also provides emotional support, protecting the individual from the effects of stress, which we know is the anthrax of our modern age. Jennifer Applebaum of the Department of Sociology, Criminology and Law at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, is the author of a a team of researchers; they wanted to know for sure how much dogs are able to counteract cognitive decline.

Measuring the impact of dog-human contact on dementia

To study this question, the research team analysed data from the University of Michigan Health and Senior Study. This is a large, continuously evolving data collection that is nationally representative. Its goal is to examine the health, social and economic consequences of aging. The survey also collects information on people’s health, cognitive ability, marital status and employment status. To investigate the impact of dog ownership on cognitive ability in older people, a subset of 1,369 people were measured over six years using tests.

The research team says it is important to distinguish between petting dogs once in a while when you are in a situation in life, and interacting with one all the time. I.e. living with one. So they categorised the people who completed the tests on this basis, and also looked separately at people under 65 and older. In the first stage of data processing, it was quite clear that for individuals under 65 years of age, pet ownership had no particular effect (only on the subject matter, of course.) However, when looking at the 65 and over group, it was found that those who had owned a dog continuously for more than 5 years scored higher on each of the tests at each measure over the 6-year test interval than those who had not had a pet or had owned a dog for less than 5 years.

The love hormone may be the answer

The reasons for the positive changes from dog ownership are not yet clear. Researchers speculate that one factor may have to do with the effect of oxytocin on brain function. Oxytocin is the hormone often referred to as the “love hormone” or “feel-good hormone”. It is released by our bodies when we have pleasant social interactions. This of course includes social interactions with dogs.

Recent study suggests that oxytocin not only induces positive emotional responses associated with dog-human bonding, but also affects social cognition and memory maintenance at a neurological level. We can’t wait for the researchers to extract more information from the tests. This is some of the most exciting and promising research we’ve come across in a long time!