ANIMALS IN RESEARCH
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHzdsFiBbFc
SPECIFICATION – pg. 482. Methodology/ How Science Works
a) Describe and evaluate the use of animals in laboratory studies when researching into drugs.b) Describe and evaluate two research methods using humans to study the effects of drugs.c) Evaluate, including relative strengths and weaknesses, research methods using animals (including both practical and ethical strengths and weaknesses) and humans (including issues of reliability and validity).
What is animal testing? It refers to the experimentation
carried out on animals. It is used to assess the safety and
effectiveness of everything from medication to cosmetics
Can be used in understanding how the human body works
Types Product testing
soaps, cosmetics etc to see if they are safe for human use.
ResearchTesting of drugs and medical procedures
Education/Training- Teach anatomy and train medical
students
Laboratory Experiments Controlled setting Manipulate something (IV) Animal laboratory experiments can
be used to show a cause and effect relationship between the drug administered and the behaviour resulting
StarterWhat do you think should go in the blanks?
According to the American Psychological Association, ___% of all psychological research involves the use of animals.
90% of research involving animals uses ________ and _____.
__ % of animals used are primates.
8
birds
rodents5
Rodents Mice and rats are the most common
animal used in testing This is because of:
Breeding – breed very quickly so inheritance can be investigated much quicker than in humansSimilarity – the arrangement of genes along their chromosome is similar enough to humans to be meaningful
Rodents Rats have been used to study
Parkinson’s disease- Researchers use drugs to replicate the
symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, then use gene therapy to reverse these symptoms
Studying functions of the brainAs far back as 1950, Lashley was investigating brain function in rats by using ablation (removing part of the brain). He systematically removed parts of the rat’s brain to see what affect it had on memory.
Drug Research Using animals, researchers can look
at the effects of drugs on brain and body
Can also help in finding cures and treating diseases
Nagaraja & Jeganathan (2003)
Effects of acute and
chronicconditions of overcrowdingon free choice ethanol intake
in rats
Aim: To examine the effects of overcrowding on ethanol intake in rats
Method: A lab experiment with independent measures and two conditions
Participants: Groups of male albino rats
Conditions:Acute Stressed - Overcrowded for 6 hours a day for a weekChronic stressed- Overcrowded continuously for a week
Both conditions had access to ethanol as well as other liquids
The intake for each group was measured
Results:Chronic stressed group showedincrease in ethanol intake andethanol preference over otherliquids.
Conclusions… Intense stress can lead to voluntary
alcohol intake A short-lasting stressor may not
increase alcohol intake
Olds and Milner (1954) http://www.psychexchange.co.uk/vid
eos/view/20670/ 6 minutes in
Olds and Milner (1954) Electrodes attached to brain Rats used lever to self administer
stimulation to reward pathway Up to 100 times a minute! Ignored food, water, and other rats –
only wanted to feel this pleasure
Applications Applied to “addiction” in drug
abusers Drugs like heroin activate same
reward circuit
Can explain why addicts will do anything to have the drug and will let other aspects of life become inconsequential
So, is animal research necessary?
Insulin was first tested on dogs and fish and is now used to treat diabetes in humans
So animal research has HELPED treat illnesses in humans and in some cases SAVED lives
BUT… Surely there are alternatives?
Tissue culturesDonated partsComputer based and mathematical modelsHuman volunteers
Evaluation – Put the following statements into the correct box
Relatively small and easy to
handle
The brains of animals are not the same as humans:
results may not be generalisable
Some animals have very short gestation periods and short reproductive
cycles
Their genetic structure is not the same as humans:
results may not be generalisable
Pro-speciesism suggests that we ought to do all we
can to protect our own species
Animals in experiments are not in their natural
surroundings, and therefore distressing
conditions
Evaluation – Put the following statements into the correct box
Some animals (mice etc) have a similar brain structure to
humans
Human lives are complex and factors rarely
occur in isolation
Drugs have been developed that could
otherwise not have been developed.
Animals should be treated ethically . They are not sufficiently different from
humans to be treated as objects
Some animals (mice, rats etc) have a short lifespan
(2 years)
Some procedures have to be carried out
daily
Some diseases (Parkinson's) have to be replicated in
animals using drugs, and so may not be the same as the
disease itself. Therefore, studies might lack validity
Evaluation – Put the following statements into the correct box
The knowledge obtained may also improve the lives of the species being tested
on.
Some procedures require accessing
specific parts of the brain that might then
be damaged.
Some procedures require strict control over the
environment
Using animals may not be
credible
Procedures can be carried out on humans
that can not be done on animals. E.g. ablation
and leisoningMany
animals feel pain
Inside Information! Animals are treated really well, have handlers, toys etc.. Beagles and mini-pigs – similar systems/metabolism to
humans Rats – see if drug reaches right place - can’t throw up – so
need to test on dogs/pigs to see what effects drugs will have
Have to keep increasing dose until animal dies – then know what the max. dosage is
There isn’t really a choice but to do these on animals – have to know how it will effect the system and whether it reaches the right places – too unethical for humans
Will “terminate” animals so can see the effect on internal organs
CANCER CURE – Inject rats with tumour, see effect of drug