Spontaneous eye blinks in horses (Equus caballus) are modulated by attention

Abstract

Spontaneous eye blinks are brief closures of both eyelids. The spontaneous eye blink rate (SEBR) exceeds physiological corneal needs and is modulated by emotions and cognitive states, including vigilance and attention, in humans. In several animal species, the SEBR is modulated by stress and antipredator vigilance, which may limit the loss of visual information due to spontaneous eye closing. Here, we investigated whether the SEBR is modulated by attention in the domestic horse (Equus caballus). Our data supported previous studies indicating a tonic SEBR specific to each individual. We also found that, superimposed on a tonic SEBR, phasic changes were induced by cognitive processing. Attention downmodulated the SEBR, with the magnitude of blink inhibition proportional to the degree of attentional selectivity. On the other hand, reward anticipation upregulated the SEBR. Our data also suggested that horses possess the cognitive property of object permanence: they understand that an object that is no longer in their visual field has not ceased to exist. In conclusion, our results suggested that spontaneous eye blinks in horses are modulated by attentional cognitive processing.