- Tell us briefly about your motivation for applying for a Marietta Blau Fellowship. Why did you choose this particular topic and institution? Why Great Britain?
As part of my research, I am studying the evolution of the human brain and the canine brain, with a focus on the neural processing of information that is fundamental to social interactions and the establishment of social relationships. To this end, I have conducted functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies in specially trained domestic dogs and humans. In the course of these studies, my team and I have found commonalities as well as differences in the neural information processing of faces and bodies, and actions of others. Abilities can develop due to external environmental demands and are also influenced by the social environment. Dogs and humans are not closely related, but they have lived together for thousands of years and have gone through evolution together. Dogs have consequently been strongly influenced by humans. Observed similarities (= analogous functions), such as a brain regions specialised in perceiving the bodies of other individuals, point to convergent evolution in dogs and humans. However, in order to be able to speak decisively of analogous brain regions, it must be examined whether the brain areas not only exhibit analogous functions, but are also similarly embedded in the brains of dogs and humans.
Assoc. Prof. Rogier Mars and his research group, the Cognitive Neuroecology Lab at the University of Oxford (UK), have developed new research methods and software in recent years that now allow us to address this question. Due to its world-leading expertise in the field of comparative neuroscience, the decision to spend a research period at Oxford University was an easy one.
- Briefly describe the main goal and results of your semester in Oxford and your project :
As part of my research, I localised brain regions in humans and dogs that have similar functions in the processing of social stimuli (e.g. bodies, faces, actions). The aim of the research visit was to investigate whether these brain regions are similarly embedded in the brains of dogs and humans. Only if this proves to be true can we argue that social behaviour occurs in a similar way in both brains.
Each brain region can be described based on its unique connections to other brain regions (= "connectivity fingerprint"). Specially developed research methods and software by Ass.-Prof. Rogier Mars and his team now allow us to compare these "connectivity fingerprints" between different animals and/or humans. We are currently in the final phase of analysing our data and soon I will be able to present the first results.
My research stay in Oxford will be a crucial contribution to the interpretation of my research results and will provide new insights for the research field of comparative social neuroscience.
- What experiences were particularly important for you?
The focus of my research group in Oxford is on comparisons between primates, rodents and humans. The regular exchange with my colleagues has expanded my knowledge enormously and inspired me to pursue many new research ideas. In addition, we were able to identify numerous parallels in our research and I was able to contribute new knowledge to the group as an expert on dogs and their brains. Imaging methods and their analysis software are mainly designed for human data, so my colleagues and I often have similar difficulties in adapting the methods. In our research group there was therefore a lively exchange and we supported each other, which increased my work progress enormously. In addition, I had the rare opportunity to gain insight into the neuroanatomy of the brains of many different animals and together we worked out differences and similarities between the brains and discussed possible reasons for this, such as different lifestyles or environmental circumstances.
- How did your studies in the UK change or influence your life?
Thanks to the Marietta Blau Scholarship, I had the opportunity to work at one of the most prestigious universities in the world and to interact with world-leading experts in the field of comparative neuroscience. My stay in the UK allowed me to gain valuable experience that enriched my research enormously. During this time, my further research path also became clear to me and which research questions I would like to pursue after my doctorate. I was also offered the opportunity to return to Oxford as a postdoctoral researcher to carry out further exciting and promising research projects.
- What kind of networks or collaborations were you able to establish between your home university and the host university?
I have been in regular exchange with Assoc. Prof. Rogier Mars since my return to Vienna and continue to be part of his research group conducting research at the University of Oxford as well as at the Donders Institute in Nijmegen (Netherlands) and we would like to continue the close exchange and cooperation with my home university, the University of Vienna, in the future.
- What are your plans for the future?
My goal is to return to Oxford and continue my research with Assoc. Prof. Rogier Mars and his research group. We have already developed a multi-year research project and will soon be applying for research funding to jointly investigate the evolution of the social brain in dogs and humans and their ancestors.
Curriculum vitae
After finishing the Austrian equivalent of A-levels in Vorarlberg, Magdalena Boch studied psychology at the University of Vienna (Bachelor and Master of Science). Due to her great fascination for comparative neuroscientific research, she finally decided to pursue an interdisciplinary doctorate within the doctoral programme "Cognition and Communication" in 2017. Under the supervision of Prof. Claus Lamm (University of Vienna), Prof. Ludwig Huber (University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna) and Ass.-Prof. Isabella Wagner (University of Vienna), she researched the neural basis and evolution of social cognition in dogs and humans and graduated with distinction in September 2022. Currently, Magdalena Boch is working as a postdoc at the University of Vienna with Prof. Claus Lamm in cooperation with Ass.-Prof. Friederike Range (Wolf Science Center Ernstbrunn) and focuses on the question of how humans perceive dogs and wolves.
Links:
Website of Magdalena Boch: https://magdalenaboch.com/
Lecture in the context of Pint of Science on Youtube (German): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHwqsHzSwD8&t=269s&ab_channel=PintofScienceAustria