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The Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) announced today a new research project to determine the effects of an equine-assisted therapy (EAT) program on the lives of older adults diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (PD). The study, How does 8 weeks of equine-assisted therapy affect older adults diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease?, led by researchers from the Texas Woman’s University School of Health Promotion and Kinesiology, will compare bradykinesia severity and functional outcomes before and after 8 weeks of EAT in adults with PD, and characterize the resulting human-animal interaction “While research studies examining the physiological benefits of horseback riding have been conducted before, there is a lack of published research regarding the physical adaptations of EAT in adults with PD,” said the study’s Principal Investigator, B. Rhett Rigby, PhD, Texas Woman’s University. “We hope that the results of this study will further the efficacy of EAT as a novel treatment modality for this population, and lead to a more widespread acceptance by healthcare practitioners.” Thirty men diagnosed with PD, aged 40 to 80 years, will be recruited and randomly assigned into two groups. Fifteen participants will complete eight weeks of EAT, and fifteen participants will complete a similar protocol on a horseback riding simulator. The EAT intervention will contain 17 total sessions across a period of eight weeks, and a licensed physical therapist will oversee and conduct all EAT sessions. A similar protocol will be in place for the simulated riding session. Preliminary data in the form of two pilot studies suggest that an improvement in postural sway and balance is present after both EAT and simulated riding in older adults with balance deficits. The study will seek to determine if these adaptions will lead to improvements with other hallmark features of PD pathophysiology, including bradykinesia, posture, balance, and gait. Researchers expect that individuals...

The Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) today announced the initiation of five new research projects focused on the positive effects of human-animal interaction on human health. These new scientific studies will focus on important areas of human-animal interaction research, including child health, healthy aging, cardiovascular health, and chronic disease management.   “This new group of projects will provide further evidence for the health benefits of the human-animal bond,” said Steven Feldman, president of HABRI. “For example, HABRI is funding the first study to examine the role of pet ownership on gut microbiota and risk of cardiovascular disease.”  The following five research projects were awarded HABRI funding:  Jeffrey Kline, MD (Indiana University): Canine-assisted anxiety reduction in pediatric emergency care (CANINE III)  Katharine M Watson, BVMS (Indiana University): The influence of pet ownership on gut microbiota composition and cardiovascular disease risk among 50 to 85-year old United States adults  Kevin Morris, PhD (University of Denver): Exploring the impacts of animal-assisted interventions on positive youth development for adolescents in residential treatment  Jessica Bibbo, PhD (Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging): Uncovering Pet Ownership Benefits, Challenges, and Resources in an Aging Society: Promoting Healthy Aging in Healthcare and Community Environments  B. Rhett Rigby, PhD (Texas Woman’s University): How does 8 weeks of equine-assisted therapy affect older adults diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease?  The CANINE III study will focus on the efficacy and impact of therapy animal interaction, and was made possible through Pet Partners, which continues to commit special funding for research into the health benefits of animal-assisted therapy.  “This robust pipeline of innovative research is made possible through the support leading pet care companies and organizations who...

The Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) today announced the results of a new study published in the Journal of Pediatric Nursing titled, “Exploratory study of cat adoption in families of children with autism: Impact on children’s social skills and anxiety,” demonstrating that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may experience increases in empathy and decreases in problem behaviors after adoption of a shelter cat into their families. “Our study found that children with ASD experienced significant increases in the social skill of empathy, significant decreases in problem behaviors including bullying and hyperactivity/inattention, and also less separation anxiety after the introduction of a shelter cat,” said Gretchen Carlisle, PhD, MEd, RN, research scientist at the University of Missouri Research Center for Human Animal Interaction (ReCHAI). “Previous research has focused on interactions of dogs with children who have ASD, but dogs may not provide the best fit for all children and their families, especially given the hypersensitivities to sound that are common among children with ASD,” Carlisle said. “We hope the results of this study will help encourage more families to consider the possibility of cat ownership and help more shelter cats find loving, deserving homes.” “For the first time, we have scientific research that shows how beneficial cats can be for families of children with ASD,” said Steven Feldman, President of HABRI, the primary funder of the study. “Selecting a suitable family pet is an important decision. Families with a child with ASD now have more information and more choices, and we hope that this will also help more shelter cats find good homes.” Findings of the Feline Friends study, led by researchers at the University of Missouri, demonstrated that children with an adopted shelter cat had better empathy and less separation anxiety, as well as fewer problem behaviors exhibited by less externalizing, bullying...