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AEC BRAIN AND BEHAVIOUR - Coggle Diagram
AEC BRAIN AND BEHAVIOUR
intro
d
ethical considerations are guidelines put in place to protect the rights and welfare of participants
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brain and behaviour is the study of the organ and its impact on behaviour and responses. Ethical considerations to protect animals were created in the 1950s and include: reduction, replacement and refinement. These ethical considerations aim to protect the animals within the experiment to ensure that only a necessary amount of them are used, that when possible alternative subjects are used and if they are used and if they are used that they are cared for and experience as little harm as possible. These guidelines are evident in all animal studies, including those which aim to investigate concepts such as neurotransmission and neuroplasticity.
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c
This essay will give a balanced review of three animal studies and the ethical considerations that have been met or broken within them.
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the studies that will be explained in this essay are: Rosenzweig, Bennet and Diamond (1974), Rogers and Kesner (2003) and Jacobsen (2012)
jacobsen (2012)
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rm
lab experiment
highly controlled conditions where accurate measurements are possible, participants randomly allocated to the IV
p
jacobsen et al conducted a meta-review that has demonstrated that low serotonin biomarkers have repeatedly been reported in depressed patients, researchers genetically modified the make-up of mice so they had a deficiency in serotonin
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mice had reduced basal and stimulated levels of serotonin and demonstrated somatic symptoms of depression (signif. weight loss/gain, insomnia/hypersomnia), also more likely to act aggressively toward researcher/other mice
linking
Jacobsen et al demonstrates the effect of 5-HT (serotonin) on depressive symptoms. For example, the mice genetically modified without the 5-HT gene showed somatic symptoms of depression. This is important because it supports the 5-HT deficiency theory that states low levels of neurotransmitters in the brain can lead to mental abnormalities such as depression. Therefore...
ec
Jacobsen has met the ethical consideration of replacement. For example, Jacobsen conducted a meta review, which is an analysis of secondary data. One experiment was also conducted and it provided support for the pre-existing evidence of the effect of reduced 5-HT on depressive symptoms. This is important as it increases the causality between 5-HT and depression and there is a surplus of data to provide strong evidence. Therefore, animal ethical considerations have been met when examining the brain and behaviour
rogers and kesner (2003)
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p
30 rats acclimate to a Hebb Williams maze by placing food in one of the corners. Rats randomly allocated to one of two conditions: injected with scopolamine (blocks acetylcholine receptors) or saline solution (placebo, control) directly into the hippocampus 10 minutes before running the maze. Encoding of memory (STM) assessed by average errors made on first 5 trials on day 1 compared to last 5 on day 1. Average number on errors made in first 5 trials compared to last 5 on day 2 to assess retrieval (LTM)
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scopolamine group (experimental) took longer and made more mistakes in learning of the maze however did not appear to have an effect on retrieval
linking
Rogers and Kesner demonstrate the effect of acetylcholine on visuo-spatial memory. For example, the rats injected with scopolamine made more mistakes on day 1 in comparison to the rats injected with a saline solution. This is important because it shows that acetylcholine is needed for the encoding (formation) of visuo-spatial memory as an excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain. Therefore, neurotransmitters have an effect on behaviour.
ec
rogers and kesner break the ethical consideration of reduction. For example, 30 rats were used in the experiment, with 15 being injected with a placebo and 15 being injected with scopolamine. This is an issue because rogers and kesner could have used fewer animals within their research and reached the same conclusion about the role of acetylcholine on spatial memory. To rectify this, rogers and kesner could have used a repeated measures design to obtain the data (all participants complete all conditions). Therefore, ethical considerations are not met when examining the brain and behaviour.
rosenzweig, bennet and diamond (1974)
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rm
lab experiment
highly controlled conditions where accurate measurements are possible, participants randomly allocated to the IV
p
rats in enriched condition or impoverished condition (ec and ic); ec - 10-12 rats, stimulus and objects to play and maze training (reward based activity), ic - rats in individual cages, no toys or maze training, rats spent 30-60 days in environment before killed to study brain anatomy
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anatomy different in ec and ic, increased thickness and weight in cortex of rats from ec, ec rats had greater activity in neurons, cerebral cortex associated with acetycholine, learning and memory, maze training
linking
rba demonstrate that neuroplasticity does affect behaviour. for example, the rats in the ec had an increased weight and thickness of the cerebral cortex. this is important because the stimulation of the ec for the rats created more neural connections and well established neural pathways. therefore ...
ec
rosenzweig bennet and diamond break the ethical consideration of refinement. For example, an autopsy was performed at the end of the experiment to examine brain structure and any structural changes that occurred as a result of neuroplasticity. This is an issue because RBD could have used brain scans instead, however an autopsy was necessary as due to the time of the experiment, killing the rats was the only way to see the effect of the different conditions. If the experiment were to happen today, an MRI would be available so refinement would be lowered as autopsies may be avoided. Therefore, ethical considerations are not met when examining brain and behaviour.