The Importance Of Biopsychology

1063 Words3 Pages

Biopsychology is a relatively new field of study in the world of academia, and scientists do not seem to know much about the subject. What scientists do know is that the brain is a vital organ that is essential for life in complex organisms such as mammals. Composing a mere 2% of our body weight, the brain (average weight of 1400 g) undergoes complex chemical reactions and processes that signal functions needed to sustain an organisms being. The underlying chemical reactions can change the brains neuronal pathways and may change its chemical responses to various stimuli and tasks, possibly leading to a change in behavioral and cognitive processes. In attempts to gain a better understanding of the brain, scientists started to work with the species …show more content…

Before the field of biopsychology was even in existence, rodent research had been used in numerous other fields successfully, especially in the field of medicine. Rodents have been the test subjects for experiments conducted regarding hormone regulation, vaccine testing, cancer cell research, and genetics. The results of these experiments give new insight to new discoveries and most have proved to be beneficial in the field of medicine. The experimentation of new drugs and research on rodents eliminates the need to use primates and humans. I feel that we are saving a countless numbers of human lives by using rodents instead of humans for experimentation. In my opinion, it would be unethical for researchers to perform untested treatments or medicines on a human being before testing it out on a lab rat or an alternative. I understand that some people may have concerns for the humane treatment of these rodents, and I agree to a certain extent, but for the most part researchers treat their test subjects humanly. Even if an animal must be deceased to study its remains they still kill the animal humanely. If the research of rodents is what gets scientists closer to unlocking more hidden treasures in the world of neuroscience and psychology, then I think that the time and resources to continue this research is well justified. After all, sacrifices sometimes have to be made for

Open Document