Animal Research Limitations

In psychology, animals have repeatedly been used through the history of brain research to gain insights into the functioning of the human brain as it controls the functioning of the human body. Processes such as movement, memory, communication, emotion, and perception and all linked to the human brain (De Castro & Olsson, 2015). It is for these reasons that scientists and researchers engaged in animal studies to gain knowledge and information that could be used to understand human behaviour and performance and potentially treat psychological and neurological disorders. This paper discusses the historical and contentious debates around animal brain research in psychology. It further critically analyses the limitations and inadequacies of early

(Glick, 2012). Heilman & Valenstein (2011) argued animals were subjected to insertion of metal probes and other substances to obtain brain matter, the use of electrocution and other crude methods was prevalent and received widespread condemnation due to the pain or death caused to the animals. Inadequacy and limitations of animal models was contentious as Gay (2013) found animals were not exact representations of the human body and the points of departure between the normative brain activity in humans and the artificially induced manipulations led to lack of validity in most results of animal brain studies throughout the early period of brain animal research. Albeit, Heilman & Valenstein (2011) argue these limitations in early animal brain studies were justified as many brought to light the physiological aspects of the brain that influenced the perceptions and cognitions of humans and assisted in contributing to the discoveries of drugs to treat disorders like depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, Parkinson disease and strokes. Consequently, the debate around cruelty to animals and the argument of moral reasoning led to appropriate legislations that were accordingly enacted to govern the use of animals by neuroscientists and others in the biological disciplines to protect animals in brain