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'Voice link' between dogs and humans discovered

Dogs' brains respond to voices in the same way a human brain does, scientists claim.

The same area of the brain activates in both species when they hear a voice, regardless of whether it is the human command "sit" or the whine of another dog.

One of the doggie volunteers has a brain scan as part of the study. Credit: Eniko Kubinyi/PA Wire

Scientists conducting the study trained 11 dogs to lie motionless in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) brain scanner.

Their responses to a range of vocal sounds, including whining, crying, playful barking and laughing, were compared with those of human volunteers.

The volunteers prepare to take part in the programme. Credit: Borbala Ferenczy/PA Wire

The findings, published in the journal Current Biology, shed light on the special relationship between dogs and humans, according to the researchers.

Lead scientist Attila Andics said the research "may support the successfulness of vocal communication between the two species."