Instructions:Yourgroupistheanimalcarecommitteeforyouruniversity.Itisthecommittee

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Instructions:YourgroupistheAnimalCareCommitteeforyouruniversity.Itisthecommittee’sresponsibilityto evaluateandeitherapproveorrejectresearchproposalssubmittedbyfacultymemberswhowanttouseanimals

forresearchorinstructionalpurposesinpsychology,biology,ormedicine.Theproposalsdescribetheexperiments, includingthegoalsandpotentialbenefitsoftheresearchaswellasanydiscomfortorinjurythattheymaycausethe animalsubjects.Youmusteitherapprovetheresearchordenypermissionfortheexperiments.Itisnotyourjobto suggestimprovementsontechnicalaspectsoftheprojects,suchastheexperimentaldesign.Youshouldmakeyour decisionbasedontheinformationgivenintheproposal.

CASE1

ProfessorKingisapsychobiologistworkingonthefrontiersofanewandexcitingresearchareaofneuroscience, braingrafting.Researchhasshownthatneuraltissuecanberemovedfromthebrainsofmonkeyfetusesandimplant- edintothebrainsofmonkeysthathavesufferedbraindamage.Theneuronsseemtomaketheproperconnections

andaresometimeseffectiveinimprovingperformanceinbrain-damagedanimals.Theseexperimentsofferimportant animalmodelsforhumandegenerativediseasessuchasParkinson’sandAlzheimer’s.Dr.Kingwantstotransplant tissuefromfetalmonkeybrainsintotheentorhinalcortexofadultmonkeys;thisistheareaofthehumanbrainthatis involvedwithAlzheimer’sdisease.

Theexperimentwilluse20adultrhesusmonkeys.First,themonkeyswillbesubjectedtoablationsurgeryinthe entorhinalcortex.Thisprocedurewillinvolveanesthetizingtheanimals,openingtheirskulls,andmakinglesions usingasurgicalinstrument.Aftertheyrecover,themonkeyswillbetestedonalearningtasktomakesuretheirmem- oryisimpaired.Threemonthslater,halfoftheanimalswillbegiventransplantsurgery.Tissuetakenfromthecortex ofmonkeyfetuseswillbeimplantedintotheareaofthebraindamage.Controlanimalswillbesubjectedtosham

surgery,andallanimalswillbeallowedtorecoverfor2months.Theywillthenlearnatasktotestthehypothesisthat theanimalshavingbraingraftswillshowbettermemorythanthecontrolgroup.

Dr.Kingarguesthatthisresearchisintheexploratorystagesandcanonlybedoneusinganimals.Shefurther statesthatbytheyear2004about3millionAmericanswillhaveAlzheimer’sdiseaseandthatherresearchcouldlead toatreatmentforthedevastatingmemorylossthatAlzheimer’svictimssuffer.

CASE2

Dr.Fineisadevelopmentalpsychobiologist.Hisresearchconcernsthegeneticcontrolofcomplexbehaviors.Oneof themajordebatesinhisfieldconcernshowbehaviordevelopswhenananimalhasnoopportunitytolearnaresponse. Hehypothesizesthatthecomplexgroomingsequenceofmicemightbeabehaviorpatternthatisbuiltintothebrain

atbirth,eventhoughitisnotexpresseduntilweekslater.Toinvestigatewhetherthemotorpatternsinvolvedin groomingareacquiredorinnate,hewantstoraiseanimalswithnoopportunitytolearntheresponse.Rearinganimals insocialisolationisinsufficientbecausethemicecouldteachthemselvestheresponse.Certainrandommovements couldaccidentallyresultintheremovalofdebris.Thesewouldthenberepeatedandcouldbecoordinatedintothe complexsequencethatwouldappeartobeinstinctivebutwouldactuallybelearned.Toshowthatthebehaviorsare trulyinnate,heneedstodemonstratethatanimalsraisedwithnoopportunitytoperformanygrooming-likemove- mentsmakethepropermovementswhentheyareoldenoughtoexhibitthebehavior.

Dr.Fineproposestoconducttheexperimenton10newbornmice.Assoonastheanimalsareborn,theywillbe anesthetizedandtheirfrontlimbsamputated.Thisprocedurewillensurethattheywillnotbereinforcedformaking randomgroomingmovementsthatremovedebrisfromtheirbodies.Themicewillthenbereturnedtotheirmothers. Theanimalswillbeobservedonaregularscheduleusingstandardobservationtechniques.Limbmovementswillbe filmedandanalyzed.Ifgroomingisalearnedbehavior,thenthemiceshouldnotmakegroomingmovementswith theirstumpsasthemovementswillnotremovedirt.If,however,groomingmovementsareinnatelyorganizedinthe brain,thentheanimalsshouldeventuallyshowgrooming-likemovementwiththestumps.

In his proposal, Dr. Fine notes that experimental results cannot be directly applied to human behavior. He argues, however, that the experiment will shed light on an important theoretical debate in the field of developmental psycho- biology.Healsostressesthattheamputationsarepainlessandtheanimalswillbewelltreatedaftertheoperation.

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CASE3

Youruniversityincludesacollegeofveterinarymedicine.Inthepast,theveterinarystudentshavepracticedsurgical techniquesondogsprocuredfromalocalanimalshelter.However,therehavebeensomeobjectionstothispractice, andtheveterinaryschoolwantstheapprovalofyourcommitteetocontinuethispractice.Theymakethefollowing points.

1. Almost all of these animals will eventually be killed at the animal shelter. It is wasteful of life to breed ani- mals for the vet school when there is an ample supply of animals that are going to be killed anyway, either becausetheirownersdonotwantthemorbecausetheyarehomeless.

2. Itcostsatleast10timesasmuchtoraisepurebredanimalsforresearchpurposes;thismoneycouldbebetter usedtofundresearchthatwouldbenefitmanyanimals.

3. Research with dogs from animal shelters and the practice surgeries will, in the long run, aid the lives of ani- malsbytrainingveterinariansandproducingtreatmentsfordiseasesthatafflictanimals.

Alocalgroupofanimalwelfareactivistshasurgedyourcommitteetodenytheveterinaryschool’srequest.They arguethatthemajorityoftheseanimalsarelostorstolenpets,anditistragictothinkthatthedogyouhavegrownto lovewillwinduponasurgicaltableorinanexperiment.Furthermore,theyclaimthataspeoplebecomeawarethat animalstakentosheltersmayendupinresearchlaboratories,theywillstopusingtheshelters.Finally,theactivists pointoutthatincountriessuchasEngland,veterinarystudentsdonotperformpracticesurgery;theylearnsurgical techniquesinanextensiveapprenticeship.

CASE4

ThePsychologyDepartmentisrequestingpermissionfromyourcommitteetouse10ratspersemesterfordemonstra- tionexperimentsinaphysiologicalpsychologycourse.Thestudentswillworkingroupsofthree;eachgroupwillbe givenarat.Thestudentswillfirstperformsurgeryontherats.Eachanimalwillbeanesthetized.Followingstandard surgicalprocedures,anincisionwillbemadeinthescalpandtwoholesdrilledintheanimal’sskull.Electrodeswill beloweredintothebraintocreatelesionsoneachside.Theanimalswillthenbeallowedtorecover.Severalweeks later,theeffectsofdestroyingthispartoftheanimal’sbrainwillbetestedinashuttleavoidancetaskinwhichthe animalswilllearnwhentocrossoveranelectrifiedgrid.

Theinstructoracknowledgesthattheprocedureisacommondemonstrationandthatnonewscientificinformation willbegainedfromtheexperiment.Heargues,however,thatstudentstakingacourseinphysiologicalpsychology musthavetheopportunitytoengageinsmallanimalsurgeryandtoseefirsthandtheeffectsofbrainlesions.