A multi-scale analysis of modularity and ontogenetic changes in morphology and locomotor biomechanics in the domestic dog

家犬形态和运动生物力学的模块化和个体发生变化的多尺度分析

• 批准号: BB/X014819/1
• 负责人: Karl Bates
• 金额: $ 97.45万
• 依托单位: University of Liverpool
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2023 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=BB%2FX014819%2F1
• 关键词: multi; scale; analysis; modularity; ontogenetic

This project has two over-arching goals: (1) to analyse how anatomy and movement of the skeleton change during growth in different canine breeds and how these growth trajectories might be linked with the development of musculoskeletal problems; and (2) to use this new understanding to inform health issues in dogs related to breed standards and aid development of new welfare technologies.The domestic dog varies remarkably in body shape, perhaps more than any four-legged species. As such, the dog represents a unique model animal for investigating the limits of variation within a single species and how variations in shape interact with everyday functions, such as movement. However, unlike most animals whose forms evolved through natural selection over millions of years, the diversity in body shape seen in domestic dogs has been strongly and directly influenced by humans. Since Victorian times, dogs have been the subject of increasingly intense selective breeding with the goal of altering their functional anatomy for specific purposes, such as working tasks, agility or simply 'desirable' visual qualities.There are major scientific and societal concerns about the welfare implications surrounding the breed standards (body shape) of certain dogs. The clear breed-specific prevalence for certain disorders strongly suggests that many of the physical traits favoured by our selective breeding may have a harmful effect on musculoskeletal function by creating an inherent predisposition to disease or injury. Unfortunately, the scientific data needed to understand the relationships between different breed morphologies and functional mechanics, such as locomotor movement, is currently lacking. This poor understanding has severely limited the ability of scientists, veterinarians and those responsible for canine welfare policy world-wide to address the health issues surrounding breed standards. Determining the morphological and functional variation in canine breeds, and how this variation may predispose certain breeds to musculoskeletal problems would provide multiple long-term welfare benefits. These benefits include an objective scientific basis for modifying breeding standards and policy, and improvements to the design of veterinary treatments, such as physiotherapy, orthopaedic implants and early diagnosis tools.In this project, we will integrate data on anatomy and movement to address a series of hypotheses designed to test if and how breed standards place disparate, and sometimes negative, mechanical demands on the musculoskeletal system of dogs. We will compare how the morphology of different canine breeds change as they grow from juveniles to adults. Comparisons will be made at a range of scales from whole-animal measures of body proportions down to the shapes of limb bones and their joint surfaces, which must bear the loads generated in locomotion. We will compare how the movement patterns of canine breeds change as they grow, using a range of gait analysis approaches, including biplanar x-ray videography, which will allow us to measure fine-scale 3D motion of leg bones with unparalleled accuracy. Anatomical and movement data will then feed into biomechanical computer models that provide information on muscle and joint forces to test if mechanically unfavourable conditions exist in breeds that show a high prevalence for musculoskeletal health issues. We will deliver direct welfare impact from this science through direct collaboration with three project partners. Active involvement of the UK Kennel Club in our project maximises its potential to influence future breeding policies and dissemination of science downstream into breed societies. Partnership with two industrial collaborators will see the development and validation of new canine welfare technologies, specifically a new orthopaedic implant and an automated artificial intelligence tool to detect early mobility issues in dogs based on owner mobile phone videos.

该项目有两个超大的目标：（1）分析不同犬种生长过程中骨骼的解剖结构和骨骼运动如何变化，以及这些生长轨迹如何与肌肉骨骼问题的发展联系在一起； （2）利用这种新的理解来告知与品种标准相关的狗的健康问题，并有助于开发新的福利技术。家养狗的体形差异很大，可能比任何四足动物都更大。因此，狗代表了一种独特的模型动物，用于研究单个物种内变异的限制以及形状的变化如何与日常功能（例如运动）相互作用。但是，与大多数通过自然选择在数百万年内进化的动物不同，在家犬中看到的身体形状多样性受到人类的强烈而直接影响。自维多利亚时代以来，狗一直是越来越强烈的选择性繁殖的主题，目的是为特定目的改变其功能解剖结构，例如工作任务，敏捷性或简单地“理想”的视觉质量。对某些狗的繁殖范围（身体形状）周围的福利产生了重大的科学和社会关注。某些疾病的明显特异性患病率强烈表明，我们选择性育种所青睐的许多物理特征可能通过对疾病或伤害固有的倾向来对肌肉骨骼功能产生有害作用。不幸的是，目前缺乏了解不同品种形态和功能力学之间的关系所需的科学数据，例如运动运动。这种糟糕的理解严重限制了科学家，兽医和负责全球犬福利政策的人的能力，以解决围绕品种标准的健康问题。确定犬种中的形态和功能变化，以及这种变异如何使某些品种偏爱肌肉骨骼问题将提供多种长期福利益处。这些好处包括修改繁殖标准和政策的客观科学依据，以及对兽医治疗的设计的改进，例如物理疗法，骨科植入物和早期诊断工具。在这个项目中，我们将整合解剖学和运动的数据，以解决旨在测试旨在测试和如何繁殖标准对狗的需求以及狗的需求的一系列假设。我们将比较不同犬种的形态如何从少年到成年人成长。比较将以一系列尺度进行比较，从身体比例的全面测量到肢体骨骼及其关节表面的形状，这必须承担运动中产生的载荷。我们将使用一系列步态分析方法（包括Biplanar X射线摄影师）进行比较犬种随着犬种的生长而变化的变化，这将使我们能够以无与伦比的精度测量腿部骨骼的细尺度3D运动。然后，解剖学和运动数据将以生物力学计算机模型为食，以提供有关肌肉和联合力的信息，以测试在肌肉骨骼健康问题上表现出很高流行率的品种中是否存在机械不利的条件。我们将通过与三个项目合作伙伴的直接合作从这项科学产生直接的福利影响。英国养犬俱乐部积极参与我们的项目，最大程度地影响了其影响未来的繁殖政策并将科学传播到下游的繁殖社会的潜力。与两名工业合作者的合作关系将看到新的犬福利技术的开发和验证，特别是一种新的骨科植入物和一种自动化的人工智能工具，可根据所有者手机视频检测狗的早期出行问题。