As a Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at UCLA, my students, colleagues around the University and I are engaged in an endeavor to improve the quality of life of individuals who suffer from major mental disorders. As committed as we are to making tangible progress towards improving the prognosis and welfare of people suffering from psychoses or addictions, we also concern ourselves with the quality of life of the animals who are the subjects of research, both because we care, and because the quality of our science requires it. To date, a variety of postings on the Speaking of Research website have addressed methods (including the “3 Rs”) for improving the welfare of animals involved in research; here, I outline the scientific necessity for doing so wherever possible.
In part, our research focuses on discovering the biological determinants of naturally-occurring differences in brain function and behavior. In humans, these individual differences, whether environmentally or genetically determined, can often index vulnerability for mental disorders. For example, young people who are more impulsive are more likely to drink, smoke, take illicit drugs and engage in high-risk sexual behavior – as well as to develop complications stemming from those behaviors. We find that, like people, some monkeys will impulsively engage themselves in new and risky situations, while others approach more cautiously and try to keep a low profile. An overlapping set of genes influence these traits in monkeys and in man. Therefore, the animal model represents a very powerful tool to locate unknown genes that influence human traits, and more importantly, to understand (at the biochemical, genomic and cognitive levels) how those genes act to influence temperament and behavior. Without insights about the basic biological determinants of these traits – something not discoverable in humans at the present time – prevention or treatment strategies of any type are difficult or impossible to create.
With these goals in mind, our research program very much depends upon the ability of our animals to exhibit their natural behavioral repertoire, whilst still being maintained under controlled conditions that allow us to isolate external influences and to perform our studies. Consequently, we maintain our animals in social groups, in open air arenas with access to sunlight, with a wide array of environmental stimuli that promote normal foraging and social behaviors. Many of our social groups include families, and most monkeys are raised by their mothers until puberty. Early separation would produce an “experimental” effect on behavior that would alter the “natural” expression of their traits. In the case of our studies, the conditions needed for enhancing animal welfare and the conditions needed for scientific discovery are the same, and we – like many other scientists – are dedicated to ensuring that we never impede the welfare of our animals when it is unnecessary or unjustified. Poor animal welfare often implies poor science; we avoid both with unrelenting diligence.
J. David Jentsch, Ph.D.