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