Could this cuddly guy actually be the most aggressive dog breed? According to a study done by The Autonomous University of Barcelona, he is indeed. Looking at 1,049 cases of aggression over 8 years, the researchers noticed that English Cocker Spaniels, like the one pictured above, were involved in the most cases followed by Rottweilers, Boxers, Yorkshire Terriers and German Shepherds.
What I found most interesting about the research is that this study, along with another by The University of Cordova, found that gold-coated English Cocker Spaniels were more aggressive than those with black or mixed-color coats. The lead researcher explained that this was because melanin shares a biochemical pathway with dopamine and other brain chemicals that determine aggression.
This got me thinking about humans and melanin. Being the dork that I am, I took several college classes in paleopathology, the study of ancient disease. I recall a professor telling us that Parkinson's Disease was related to an inability to produce a sufficient amount of dopamine. Though there has been no definitive link to race, Parkinson's is far more prevalent in Caucasians (those with less melanin) than African Americans (those with more melanin). Though the exact types of melanin in skin (eumelanin and pheomelanin) and melanin in the brain (neuromelanin) are different, I find the whole idea of skin or coat color affecting biochemistry, or rather, being linked to it, mind-boggling. This is one of the once-a-month moments when I wish I'd gone to med school instead of getting a Masters Degree in something that helps me write a blog.
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You are a PROFESSIONAL WRITER! Way better than a doctor. Instead of DOING cool stuff we get to make up people in our heads who do cool stuff.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this post. That dog is terrifying. (Well, at least now I know he should be.) So surprised pitbulls weren't #1. They have the worst dog reputation ever.
And I would like to talk more with you about the old-timey nature of diseases. More specicially, ones people we know may or may not have so we may or may not MAKE FUN OF THEM.