Do you have a mouse brain? The ethical imperative to use non-human primates in neuroscience research
by Carlie Hoffman Much of today’s neuroscience research investigating human brain diseases and disorders utilizes animal models. Animals ranging from flies, rodents, and non-human primates are routinely used to model various disorders, with mice being most commonly utilized. Scientists employ these animal models to approximate human conditions and disorders in an accessible manner, with the ultimate purpose of applying the findings derived in the animal back into the human brain. Rhesus macaques , a species of NHP often used in research. The use of animals in research has been the source of much debate, with people either supporting or objecting their use, and objections arising from animal rights activists , proponents of critical neuroscience such as Nikolas Rose and Joelle Abi-Rached , and others. A main focus of this debate has also been the use of non-human primates (NHP) in research. The cognitive functions and behaviors of NHPs are more closely related to those seen in hu...