Nov 12, 2025 02:46 AM
https://www.thetransmitter.org/policy/wi...no-future/
INTRO: Earlier this year, the National Institutes of Health launched a new initiative to prioritize human-based research technologies, such as organ-on-a-chip systems and computational models, and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced plans to scale back animal research—including in primates—following similar initiatives in Europe. NIH policy changes soon followed.
The changes may appear bold on the surface, but these approaches are neither new nor able to stand alone. At the heart of nearly every major advance in human brain science is research with monkeys—including work that provides an understanding of how complex brain systems give rise to thought, movement, perception and cognition.
Monkeys are our closest animal relatives; they have a unique brain architecture that supports perceptual and cognitive faculties found only in primates, including humans. Because of the complex dynamics of these neural systems, studying them in our simian cousins gives insights into brain function that human-based models alone cannot match—making monkey research an indispensable pillar of scientific progress. Monkey neuroscience is not just complementary to work with humans; it is foundational to it.
We are entering a transformative era in neuroscience, in which breakthroughs in brain-machine interfaces, neurotherapeutics and biologically inspired artificial intelligence are poised to reshape medicine and technology. All of these advances relied on monkey research. If the NIH truly wants to emphasize human-based approaches, including monkey research is essential. Otherwise, the future of neuroscience is in doubt... (MORE - details)
INTRO: Earlier this year, the National Institutes of Health launched a new initiative to prioritize human-based research technologies, such as organ-on-a-chip systems and computational models, and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced plans to scale back animal research—including in primates—following similar initiatives in Europe. NIH policy changes soon followed.
The changes may appear bold on the surface, but these approaches are neither new nor able to stand alone. At the heart of nearly every major advance in human brain science is research with monkeys—including work that provides an understanding of how complex brain systems give rise to thought, movement, perception and cognition.
Monkeys are our closest animal relatives; they have a unique brain architecture that supports perceptual and cognitive faculties found only in primates, including humans. Because of the complex dynamics of these neural systems, studying them in our simian cousins gives insights into brain function that human-based models alone cannot match—making monkey research an indispensable pillar of scientific progress. Monkey neuroscience is not just complementary to work with humans; it is foundational to it.
We are entering a transformative era in neuroscience, in which breakthroughs in brain-machine interfaces, neurotherapeutics and biologically inspired artificial intelligence are poised to reshape medicine and technology. All of these advances relied on monkey research. If the NIH truly wants to emphasize human-based approaches, including monkey research is essential. Otherwise, the future of neuroscience is in doubt... (MORE - details)