January 12, 2015

This week’s Science First highlights neuroscience research coming out of the Green Neuroscience Laboratory in San Diego, which was established to enable the pursuit of “a new way of studying the brain and its relation to the body, our environment and society.”

Worried about the direction the neuroscience field was taking, Dr. Ann Lam and her husband, Dr. Elan Ohayon, founded this academic research facility to enable the study of “a new neuroscience”—one which does not cling to dated ideas of how neuroscience studies should be conducted.

The lab operates on a number of guiding principles, one being that no captive animal experimentation is performed. This is done in order to “engender and practice deep respect for all living systems.” Considering that animal models—despite their limited translatability to humans—are relied upon heavily in neuroscience studies, this is a welcome deviation from more traditional approaches to research in this field.

The scientists have also integrated an ethical perspective into their research, ensuring they consider both how their research can be conducted ethically, as well as how the results can be used ethically.

To that end, one of their other guiding principles is that they will not perform research that has military applications, as “[n]euroscience must be directed exclusively toward health, peaceful and non-violent purposes,” not “violent or oppressive” ones.

Drs. Lam and Ohayon are spreading the word about their views on neuroscience research at scientific conferences nationwide. It is our hope that other researchers will see the value of animal-free neuroscience experimentation and incorporate it into their own research as well.

What are your thoughts on the Green Neuroscience Laboratory and the guiding principles behind it? Send your questions and comments to sciencecorner@navs.org. I look forward to hearing from you.

–Dr. Pam Osenkowski, Director of Science Programs

Discovery, Guided by Morality
January 5, 2015

Dr. Lam and Dr. Ohayon refuse to experiment on animals, a mainstay of neuroscience research, and will not conduct research with military applications. At scientific conferences around the country, they have been urging scientists to stop clinging to dated notions of normalcy and deviance.

For more information see: The New York Times