Peer-Reviewed Scientific Literature

Barton, S. A., Kent, M., & Hecht, E. E., 2023. Neuroanatomical asymmetry in the canine brainBrain Structure and Function, pp. 1-13.

Rogers Flattery, C.N., Abdulla, M., Barton, S.A., Michlich, J.M., Trut, L.N., Kukekova, A.V. and Hecht, E.E., 2023. The brain of the silver fox (Vulpes vulpes): a neuroanatomical reference of cell-stained histological and MRI imagesBrain Structure and Function, pp. 1-13.

Hecht, E.E., Barton, S.A., Flattery, C.N.R. and Meza, A.M., 2023. The evolutionary neuroscience of domesticationTrends in Cognitive Sciences.

Hecht, E.E., Zapata, I., Alvarez, C.E., Gutman, D.A., Preuss, T.M., Kent, M. and Serpell, J.A., 2021. Neurodevelopmental scaling is a major driver of brain–behavior differences in temperament across dog breedsBrain Structure and Function226, pp. 2725-2739.

Hecht, E.E., Kukekova, A.V., Gutman, D.A., Acland, G.M., Preuss, T.M. and Trut, L.N., 2021. Neuromorphological changes following selection for tameness and aggression in the Russian farm-fox experimentJournal of Neuroscience41(28), pp. 6144-6156.

Hecht, E.E., Smaers, J.B., Dunn, W.D., Kent, M., Preuss, T.M. and Gutman, D.A., 2019. Significant neuroanatomical variation among domestic dog breedsJournal of Neuroscience39(39), pp. 7748-7758.

Media Articles

I signed up my dog for a brain study at Harvard. Here’s what I learned. By By Marcela García | The Boston Globe | March 2024

Your Dog’s Emotions, Explained (Because Dogs Have Feelings, Too!) By Janelle Leeson | Rover.com | August 2023

Does your dog care if you die? By Alvin Powell | Harvard Gazette | February 2022

New wrinkle in tale of wolf-to-dog evolution By Juan Siliezar | Harvard Gazette | July 2021

Breeding Foxes for Opposite Behaviors Produces Similar Brain Changes Neuroscience News | June 2021

Did humans truly domesticate dogs? Canine history is more of a mystery than you think. By Kate McGowan | Popular Science | February 2020

Centuries of breeding have reshaped dog brains – and here’s how By Liz Langley | National Geographic | September 2019

Hunters, herders, & companions: Breeding dogs has reordered their brains By Jill Radsken | Harvard Gazette | September 2019

As humans shaped dogs’ bodies, we also altered their brains By Jason Bittel | The Washington Post | September 2019

A dog’s breed is a window onto its brain Nature | September 2019

Humans haven’t just changed what dogs look like—we’ve altered the very structure of their brains By Eva Frederick | Science | September 2019

Canine MRIs Sniff Out How Human Preferences Shaped Dog’s Hallmark Traits By Sharon Begley | Scientific American | September 2019

Different dog breeds have different brains, scientists find | By Ed Cara | Gizmodo | September 2019

Will This Dog Hunt? By William Inman | Georgia State University Magazine | Fall 2018

Podcasts & Interviews

Innovation Showcase: The Canine Brains Project | Interview with Sophie Barton | April 2024

A Harvard study into how working dogs’ brains have evolved for their function Dogs with Jobs: Petersfield’s Shine Radio | Interview with Sophie Barton | April 2024

How centuries of selective breeding has changed the shape of dogs’ brains CBC: As It Happens | Interview with Dr. Erin Hecht | September 2019

Study Finds Humans Over Time Have “Systematically” Shaped the Brains of Dogs WBUR | Interview with Dr. Erin Hecht | September 2019