Seven decades ago, the chance "discovery" of cortical spreading depression unleashed a storm of excitement amongst neuro-scientists, and, a spurt in animal experiments to replicate the findings and to go further in our understanding swept the world of Neuroscience.
The rodent model (rats/mice) is the most favoured one. The animals are rendered unconscious during the experiment, recording probes are pushed /placed into their brains, and the animals are eventually sacrificed after the experiment. It may be noted that the model gets fatally flawed here as migraine patients rarely or never lose consciousness, except with the uncommon or rare stroke.
There has been not an iota of progress since the fateful event in 1944 (see Gupta, Exp Rev Neurotherapeutics 2009, 9 (11) 1595-1614; Gupta, J Headache Pain, 2011, 12, 45-46; Gupta VK. Ed. Adaptive Mechanisms in Migraine. A Comprehensive Synthesis in Evolution. Breaking the Migraine Code. Nova Science Publishers, Inc., New York, 2009), The entire edifice of animal experimentations in migraine has been built around assumptions and myths that abound in migraine pathophysiology.
Is empathy confined to the sapient?
When will this monstrous and disastrous loss of life stop?
All life is precious, by and large.
The rodent model of animal analogue of the aura of migraine is fatally flawed right from the beginning, as rodents cannot vomit. Nausea and/or vomiting is a major component of migraine attacks that has the potential to remit the attack completely in many if not most patients (see attachment--Gupta, Brain, 2004). The rodent does not share this important component with humans. This issue has not been raised migraine research or by animal / pet lovers / PETA.
THIS IS A WAKE_UP CALL.
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