Animal Welfare Considerations and Ethical Oversight of the Use of Animals in Psychiatric Research
Ethical issues arise with the use of animals in psychiatric and clinical neuroscience research due to the potential physical or psychological effects imposed on the animals, with the ethical debate focusing on the “cost-benefit” analysis of the animal use where cost is defined as animals experiencing negative events, either physical or emotional. The use of the cost-benefit analysis model combined with considerations for animal welfare that serve both to decrease any potential harm to the animal and increase benefits to human and animal health is a useful model for the ethical review and subsequent institutional approval of animal use. Recent mandates and the ongoing development of animal welfare science in the field of laboratory animal science allow institutional animal care and use committees (IACUCs) and other similar oversight committees and regulatory authorities world-wide effectively to construct and monitor research that balances cost with benefits at the institutional level.