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Home / Equine Research Bank / PLoS One / Heart and brain: Change in cardiac entropy is related to lat...
PloS one2023; 18(8); e0289753; doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0289753

Heart and brain: Change in cardiac entropy is related to lateralised visual inspection in horses.

Abstract: Cerebral lateralisation is the tendency for an individual to preferentially use one side of their brain and is apparent in the biased use of paired sensory organs. Horses vary in eye use when viewing a novel stimulus which may be due to different physiological reactions. To understand the interplay between physiology and lateralisation, we presented a novel object (an inflated balloon) to 20 horses while electrocardiogram traces were collected. We measured the amount of time each horse looked at the balloon with each eye. We calculated 'sample entropy' as a measure of non-linear heart rate variability both prior to and during the stimulus presentation. A smaller drop in sample entropy values between the habituation phase and the sample presentation indicates the maintenance of a more complex signal associated with a relaxed physiological state. Horses that spent longer viewing the balloon with their left eye had a greater reduction in sample entropy, while time spend looking with the right eye was unrelated to the change in sample entropy. Therefore, the horses that exhibited a greater reduction in sample entropy tended to use their right hemisphere more, which may take precedence in emotional reactions. These results may help to explain the variation in lateralisation observed among horses.
Copyright: © 2023 Felici et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
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Publication Date: 2023-08-08 PubMed ID: 37552685PubMed Central: PMC10409287DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0289753Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The study explores the connection between cerebral lateralisation, a preference to use one side of the brain, and variations in physiological reactions observed in horses, using a novel stimulus and tracking changes in heart rate variability.

Understanding Cerebral Lateralisation

  • The study focuses on a concept known as cerebral lateralisation, which refers to the preference of an individual to use one side of their brain over the other.
  • This is evident in the biased use of paired sensory organs, such as eyes or ears. The phenomenon is not exclusive to humans and is observed in animals as well.
  • In horses, this lateralisation is noticeable in their use of eyes when exposed to a new stimulus. The variance in eye use is hypothesised to be a result of differing physiological reactions.

Experimental Approach

  • The research included an experiment where a novel object (an inflated balloon in this case) was presented to 20 horses. Simultaneously, heart traces were recorded using electrocardiograms.
  • The time each horse spent looking at the balloon with each eye was recorded, and ‘sample entropy’, a measure of non-linear heart rate variability, was calculated both before and during the stimulus presentation.
  • A smaller decrease in the sample entropy values between habituation and stimulus presentation pointed to a more complex signal associated with a relaxed state.

Findings

  • The researchers noted that the horses that spent a longer time viewing the balloon with their left eye experienced a larger reduction in sample entropy.
  • On the contrary, the time spent looking at the balloon with the right eye had no connection with a change in sample entropy.
  • This suggests that horses showing a more significant reduction in sample entropy tend to use their right hemisphere more, possibly hinting at the right hemisphere’s role in emotional reactions.

Relevance of the Study

  • The findings from this study may shed light on the variations observed among horses in terms of their lateralisation.
  • Understanding the link between physiological responses and cerebral lateralisation can offer useful knowledge for animal behaviorists and trainers in handling and training horses.
  • The study also opens doors for further research into other species and more complexities surrounding cerebral lateralisation.

Cite This Article

APA
(2023). Heart and brain: Change in cardiac entropy is related to lateralised visual inspection in horses. PLoS One, 18(8), e0289753. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0289753

Publication

PloS one
ISSN: 1932-6203
NlmUniqueID: 101285081
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 18
Issue: 8
Pages: e0289753
PII: e0289753

Researcher Affiliations

MeSH Terms

  • Horses
  • Animals
  • Entropy
  • Functional Laterality / physiology
  • Brain / physiology
  • Eye
  • Heart

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

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