What It's Like To Be a Dog: And Other Adventures in Animal Neuroscience

The science of brain imaging involves measuring the physical activity in the brain using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Berns (psychology & neuroeconomics, Emory Univ.; How Dogs Love Us) describes his Dog Project—an MRI study to see what the structure and functioning of the canine brain might reveal about the animal's inner life. Scanning the brains of nearly 20 dogs, Berns found that the canine organ bears a striking resemblance to our own and therefore dogs probably experience pain, joy, and other mental and emotional states much as we do. Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of this project was the dogs themselves. Volunteered by their owners to undergo a rigorous MRI training regimen (albeit with lots of treats), these pets learned to endure the loud noise of the MRI machine, to place their heads in a coil, and to remain still during scanning. Ultimately, Berns hopes to build an archive of the three-dimensional brain structures of the earth's megafauna—an ambitious project he calls the Brain Ark.