NEWS: Scientists who blasted drugged mice with loud dance music...

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corolla

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http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/08/19/1029114072438.html
Mouse test leaves bad taste
August 20 2002
London: Scientists who blasted drugged mice with loud dance music in a "tasteless" experiment have received an official Home Office reprimand, it was revealed today.
Seven mice forced to listen to The Prodigy after taking a strong form of amphetamine or "speed" died while others suffered brain damage.
Animal rights campaigners were outraged by the research, described by the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV) as "tasteless and horrific".
Today, a year after the results were first published in the journal NeuroReport, the Home Office confirmed it had taken "infringement action" against the Cambridge University team led by Dr Jenny Morton.
Although the Home Office would not discuss the nature of the action it later emerged that the scientists had received "formal admonitions" and been reminded of the rules under which animal research must be conducted.
The BUAV said it was appalled that the researchers had got away with a "slap on the wrist".
Campaigns director Wendy Higgins said: "It's disgusting. They should be prosecuted for animal cruelty. Why should they get special treatment just because they are scientists?
"There needs to be a completely independent inquiry into the whole business of regulating animal experiments."
The mouse study was a "by-product" of research into Huntingdon's disease for which the Cambridge scientists had obtained an animal experiment licence, the Home Office said.
A total of 238 mice were used, half of which were injected with the drug methamphetamine and half salt water.
The drugged mice were then exposed to silence, white noise - a "rushing" sound made from a combination of different frequencies - or loud music.
The music played was either from dance act The Prodigy or Bach's Violin Concerto in A Minor, both of which have a similar tempo.
Animals injected with salt fell asleep when the music was played.
But the sound dramatically affected the drugged mice, causing them to suffer more speed-induced brain damage than normal.
They appeared to "jiggle backwards and forwards" as the music pounded in their ears.
As well as the Prodigy fatalities, four mice made to listen to Bach also died.
Dr Morton later insisted the study was fully justified and conducted responsibly. The experiment was part of a wider study looking at the affect of amphetamine on the striatum, a brain region which degenerates in Huntingdon's disease.
The findings suggested that loud pulsating noise - the kind young people are subjected to in clubs - could enhance the drug's toxic effects.
Dr Morton said the volume used, 95 decibels, was equivalent to listening to a personal stereo turned up reasonably loud.
The BUAV said it had pursued the matter with the Home Office for nine months.
A Home Office spokeswoman said: "This report was thoroughly investigated by the Animals Inspectorate and appropriate infringement action has been taken."
In May, the BUAV accused Cambridge University of carrying out "horrific" experiments on monkeys without proper authorisation.
Video footage secretly shot during a BUAV undercover operation showed marmosets having their skulls opened and their brains tampered with. The Home Office said it was considering the evidence.
Ms Higgins said Cambridge should be banned from further animal experiments while an independent investigation is carried out.
She said: "The whole relationship between the Home Office and researchers is far too cosy."
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-PA
[ 19 August 2002: Message edited by: corolla ]
 
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I know its wrong that inncoent animals had to die but that is the single funniest thing I read in a VERY long time
;)
 
So was anything ever proved,
That's kinda interesting if loud music makes your droogz more toxic.
 
The only ethical problem here is that perfectly good drugs were wasted on mice. Bastards!
 
compared to the shit that is done to rodents in the name of research this is nothing

seems like it was a quick death

and with so many people doing drugs, these questions are as legit as other questions, too bad there is such a bias against drug related research.

I used to work in a research lab during college. One of the experiment we did involved rats being injected some cancer inducing drug, then divided into several groups, then given some chemicals that was supposed to prevent the cancer. Well all the animals developed hardcore cancer, it was oozing outta of them, other rats were eating on the cancer. This was going on for months, imagine the pain these animals had to go through. For what, some chemicals that didn't even do shit to protect them from cancer. How's this more ok than the drug related research.
 
I think it's funny that people are getting so pissed about animal rights, when many people would enjoy that and pay good money for it.

This reminds me of a study I read about a while back where scientists found out that mice were more likely to spontaneously have sex with eachother when they were listening to loud dance music and rolling, than when sober and with no music.
 
Animal rights campaigners were outraged by the research, described by the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV) as "tasteless and horrific".
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what the HELL? they do a LOT worse things to rats. this study is relatively mild on the rats, actually it gave them a hell of a good time, and they were trying to make the parameters as close to human-life-like as possible it seems

why did they even get a "slap on the wrist"?
 
Call me cruel but I just hella lol-ed
Esp the part about the salt water mice falling asleep
LOL
 
I would be more than glad to listen to some Psykovsky in a Research Setting while cranked on Adderall or Amphetamine.

lol, i would really be interested in which spots of my brain lit up.
 
Animal cruelty? Its fucking research. Sorry there should be a scale on this sorta thing Chimps > dogs > cats > mice .... Plus 238 mice? really the cats of sydney probably kill more in one night......
 
What's the point of this? Mice have much more sensitive hearing than humans...they have small tiny brains between two HUGE ears! So this has no revelation to a human response to sound/music while on drugs...

...but i do admit, thinking about those mice "jiggling around" is kind of funny. And the salt water mice fell asleep? Whaaat? Lol.
 
That is useful information. I'm sorry about the poor rats, but such research is not unusual and the results are soemthing that could lead to a better understanding on how to behave 'under the effect'. I just would like to know how much meth they injected the poor mice with. certainly a 'heroic dose'.
 
Message to all scientests from across the world from here in AUS..
if you needs 'subjects' to test MDMA for you..
I guarantee you will get thousands of applicants..
And in the US.. it would be appreciated if you could send some Pokeballs with Oprah.. thanks

And just on the mice.. no wonder the poor bastards died.. all that rocking and no relief.. im sure a bottle of water every now and then would of helped alot..
but yeh thats the way i want to go..
rolling, horny and listening to some unreal music!
 
"As well as the Prodigy fatalities, four mice made to listen to Bach also died."

awesome sentence...I wonder if Prodigy knows their music has the ability to kill mice on speed. unrelated note: "The Prodigy Fatalities" would be a great band name.
 
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