Why Parkinson’s Disease Experiments on Monkeys Are a Scientific Failure

Picture experimenters drugging you so you fall in and out of consciousness and injecting foreign cells into your brain. Imagine the agony of your brain swelling and the confusion of losing your vision. Now, envisage being taken out of your cage to be killed and dissected. This is the grim reality for monkeys used in Parkinson’s disease experiments.

Parkinson’s disease doesn’t occur in monkeys, so why are some experimenters still subjecting them to such cruel, wasteful, and dangerous tests? Read on to discover what harrowing experiences monkeys endure in Parkinson’s disease experiments, why this approach is bad science and a waste of resources, and how you can help animals in laboratories.

Experimenters Deliberately Degrade Monkeys’ Brains

If Parkinson’s disease doesn’t occur in monkeys, how can experimenters study it? The answer is sinister: experimenters deliberately inject often young and healthy animals with toxic drugs specifically designed to destroy their neurons and degrade their brains – all in a crude attempt to replicate the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.

As a result, these animals develop severe disabilities. They lose control of their movements, freeze in place out of fear and pain, or are forced into unnatural crouched postures with their heads drooping down. They will then be subjected to further agonising tests.

Parkinson’s Disease Experiments Mean Hell for Monkeys

In Parkinson’s disease experiments, monkeys such as marmosets and macaques endure a range of horrific treatments and unspeakable suffering. Here’s what happens behind the closed doors of laboratories.

Experimenters insert tubes into the monkeys’ skulls and inject foreign cells directly into their brain as they crudely explore potential treatments for humans. These practices undoubtedly cause significant discomfort, pain, and emotional distress for the monkeys. In other studies, experimenters put collars on the monkeys’ necks to monitor their movements and force them to perform exhausting and unnatural tasks, such as running on treadmill-like wheels almost every day or retrieving marshmallows from plastic boxes.

Some monkeys experience extreme neurological symptoms, such as uncontrollable tremors, paralysis of parts of their bodies, and spontaneous circling. Others endure strokes, leaving them with paralysis on one side of their body, a fixed gaze, and overwhelming lethargy. Many of these animals suffer so intensely that they must be euthanised to end their pain. Those who survive are kept alive and made to recover, only to be used in more cruel and terrifying experiments, likely for the rest of their lives.

Using Monkeys to ‘Study’ Parkinson’s Disease Is Bad Science

Many experimenters use young rodents and primates to study diseases related to aging. This practice makes it less likely that their findings will be useful for understanding human conditions.

Such studies fail to fully capture the complexities of Parkinson’s disease or aid in developing future neuromodulation treatments. Animal models of neuropsychiatric disorders and neurodivergence often fall short because they don’t accurately reflect the causes of these disorders in humans. They can’t replicate key anatomical, biochemical, or behavioural features, and their results don’t reliably predict how treatments will work on humans.

In short, the use of animals in these tests is a waste of time and money, and it delays the development of a much-needed treatment for Parkinson’s disease.

There Have Been Animal-Free Breakthroughs in Parkinson’s Research

Forward-thinking scientists are developing humane, modern, and effective non-animal methods, including human tissue models, 3D printing, advanced imaging techniques, and organs-on-chips. Notably, the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre has curated a comprehensive knowledge base containing detailed descriptions of 568 non-animal models specifically used for neurodegenerative disease research, demonstrating the growing potential of these innovative approaches. A switch to humane methods for basic research and drug development is long overdue.