Editorial announcement

Editorial Announcement

Policy on the Use of Animals and Human Subjects

Hearing Research, as a professional scientific and medical journal, is engaged in the reviewing and publication of original research papers, some of which involve research in animals. The purpose of this document is to outline a policy regarding animal research that guides the acceptance and publication of in Hearing Research. The manuscripts author(s) of m~uscripts are required to verify that the results reported have been acquired in compliance with the policy of the Journal. Hearing Research endorses and supports the appropriate and responsible use of animals as experimental subjects. The Journal recognizes that knowledge generated by biological research on animals has led to important advances in understanding the normal function of the inner ear and the central nervous system as well as of diseases and disorders that affect hearing and vestibular functions: Such studies in animals have also contributed to the development of better treatments for various disorders and diseases that reduce suffering in both humans and animals. This type of knowledge also makes a critical contribution to understanding ourselves, the complexities of our sensory structures and brain, and as to what makes us human. Continued progress in understanding how the ear and brain work and further advances in treating and curing disorders of hearing and balance require investigation of complex functions at all levels in the living nervous system. Because no adequate alternatives exist for many such studies, much research must be done on animal subjects. Hearing Research takes the position that scientists have an obligation to contribute to this progress through responsible and humane research on animals as well as on human subjects.

Animal experiments should be undertaken only for the purpose of advancing knowledge. consideration should be given to the appropriateness of experimental procedures, species of animals used and number of animals required. Only animals that are lawfully acquired shall be used in the laboratory, and their retention and use shall be, in every case, in compliance with federal, state and local laws and regulations, and in accordance with the most recent edition of the NIH Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals [I 1. Animals in the laboratory must receive every consideration for their comfort and they must be properly housed, fed and their surroundings kept in a sanitary condition. Appropriate anesthetic must be used to eliminate sensibility to pain during all surgical procedures. Where recovery from anesthesia is necessary during the study, acceptable techniques to minimize pain must be followed. Muscle relaxants or paralytics are not anesthetics and they should not be used alone for surgical restraint. Such agents, however, may be used for surgery in conjunction with drugs known to produce adequate analgesia. Where use of anesthetics would negate the results of the experiments, such procedures should be carried out in strict accordance with the NIH Guide [l]. Animals must be killed in a humane manner at the conclusion of acute experiments_ The postoperative care of animals shall be such as to minimize discomfort and pain, and in any case shall be equivalent to accepted practices in schools of veterinary medicine. The PHS Policy [2] and the NIH Guide (11 describe a set of general policies and procedures designed to ensure the human and appropriate use of live vertebrate animals in all

forms of biomedical research. Hearing Research finds the policies and procedures set forth in these documents to be both necessary and sufficient to ensure high standards for animal care and use, and has adopted these policies as its official ‘Policy on the Use of Animals in Auditory and Vestibular Research’. However, in addition to complying with the policies described above, investigators must also adhere to all relevant national, state or local laws, and or, regulations that govern their use of animals in research.

Experiments

Acknowledgements Preparation of the Guidelines for Hearing Research has benefitted from the published Guidelines of the Society for Neuroscience and the American Physiological Society. Some parts were directly or partly adopted from recommended reading and sources of references.

with Human Subjects

Experiments with human subjects should be carried out in accordance with the guideline of the Declaration of Helsinki.

References [l]

Recommended

Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals.

National Institutes of Health,

Publication No.

85 - 23

Reading

Anaesthesia and paralysis in experimental animals. (1984) Visual Neuroscience

1, 42 1 - 426.

(revised 1985). NIH, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20892,

USA.

The Biomedical Investigator’s Handbook for Researchers Using Animal Models.

[2] OPRR Public Health Service Policy on Human Care

Research,

and Use of Laboratory Animals (revised September 1986).

Washington,

818

(1987) Foundation for Biomedical

Connecticut

DC 20006,

Avenue,

N.W.,

Suite 303,

USA.

Office for Protection from Research Risks, NIH, Building 31,

Room

20892,

USA

4BO9,

9000

Rockville

Pike,

Bethesda, MD

Guide to the Care and Use of Experimental Canadian Council on Animals Care,

Animals.

151 Slater, Ottowa,

Ontario, Canada KlP 5H3. Handbook

for

Research.

(1991)

Circle, NW.,

the

Use

of

Animals

in

Neuroscience

Society for Neuroscience,

Suite 500, Washington,

11 Dupont

DC 20036,

USA.

Prepamtion and Maintenance of Higher M ammals During Neuroscience

Experiments.

(1991)

Repoti of a National

Institutes Health Workshop. NIH Publication No. 91-3207, March 1991, National Eye Institute, Building 31, Room 6A47,

Bethesda, MD 20892,

USA.