Researchers in the USA are using mice in bizarre and pointless experiments to try and learn more about why humans stammer.

Stammering, also known as stuttering, is a speech disorder where the flow of speech is interrupted by repetitions, pauses or prolongations of certain words and sounds. It is most common in childhood and can often be treated with speech therapy.

The exact cause of stammering in humans remains unknown but has previously been thought to be triggered by stress and anxiety. More recently, scientists have found that a mutation in a particular gene, which is normally responsible for clearing waste from cells in the body, is common in people who stutter.

Based on this discovery, scientists at the Washington University School of Medicine have bred genetically modified mice with this genetic mutation and subjected them to a series of cruel experiments to determine whether they could be used as a suitable ‘model’ for human stuttering. In the first part of the experiment, new born mice were placed alone inside special chambers where their squeaks were recorded as they cried out for their mothers. The squeaks were then analysed by a computer and compared to those from normal mice.

When the mice were six months old they were subjected to a series of cruel behavioural tests, which included:

• Startling the mice with loud noises
• Shocking their feet with electricity
• Forcing them to swim in inescapable pools of water
• Making them balance on rotating rods
• Placing them on open mazes high off the ground

The researchers concluded that mice with the mutation were found to have gaps in their squeaks, which they claim is similar enough to human stuttering to use them to test potential drugs. This seems slightly premature and far-fetched; complex speech patterns and disorders of this are thought to only occur in humans. These crude tests are also based on the assumption that stuttering is caused by this particular gene, which has yet to be proven. There are also a wide range of complex factors that could play a part in the development of speech disorders, which cannot be replicated in mice. These include medical conditions such as stroke or head injury and more complicated mental health problems such as emotional trauma, stress and anxiety.

It is time to stop wasting time and resources trying to create an ‘animal model’ for every single human ailment. The best way to learn more about human disorders is to study humans.

Find out more about arguments against animal testing.
 

Sources:

1. Researchers genetically engineer mice to stutter, laying basis for model of the human speech disorder. (2016). National Post, 14 April: http://news.nationalpost.com/news/world/researchers-genetically-engineer-mice-to-stutter-laying-basis-for-model-of-the-human-speech-disorder
2. A mutation associated with stuttering alters mouse pup ultrasonic vocalisations. (2016). Current Biology, doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2016.02.068.