B.A., Biological Sciences - Zoology, Oxford University - New
College, Oxford, England, (1995).
M.A., Biological Sciences - Zoology, Oxford University - New College,
Oxford, England, (2000).
D. Phil., "The aetiology of stereotypy in caged animals", Animal
Behavior Research Group, Department of Zoology, Oxford University, Oxford,
England, (1999).
My research concentrates on the relationships between spontaneously
occurring abnormal behaviors in captive animals and similar behaviors
in human mental disorder. I use the biology of the brain to identify
clusters of symptoms that consistently arise in humans from
dysfunction in particular areas of the brain. I then look for similar
symptom clusters in non-human animals, and test for their predicted
correlation with brain function. These data therefore provide a
biological basis for defining and diagnosing mental illness in
non-human animals. The goals of this work are to further the
understanding of both the human disorders, and the abnormal animal
behaviors; and to develop animal models which maximize the welfare of
the individual animals.
Animal models of human disorders
Demonstrating the common biology underlying abnormal behavior in
human mental disorder and in spontaneously occurring abnormal behavior
in captive animals provides novel animal models of human disorders.
- In contrast to experimentally induced animal models,
spontaneously occurring animal models allow the investigation of
multiple etiological factors - from genetics to the environment.
Thus information from these models can speak to a wide range of
human etiological populations. As a result such data have good
external validity, and also reduce the need to replicate results in
multiple separate models of distinct etiologies. Thus spontaneous
models provide the potential to both reduce the number of animals
used in such research, and to maximize the benefit and applicability
of the data obtained from each individual animal. Furthermore,
models based on spontaneously occurring behavior are often far less
invasive than many other models.
- Data from such models - including the wealth of existing
ethological data on abnormal behaviors in captive animals - can
suggest previously unknown risk factors in the human disorder, and
identify novel potential interventions.
- Some symptoms or symptom clusters in humans are associated with
the same localized differences in brain function in several
different disorders. As a result a spontaneous animal model of these
symptoms can potentially speak to several different human disorders.
Thus rather than modeling each disorder separately with a different
experimentally induced animal model, spontaneously induced models
that share brain-biology with multiple disorders can model at least
a subset of the symptoms of multiple disorders in a single
experiment.
Human models of animal disorders
By identifying symptom clusters that can be found in both human and
non-human animals, we can begin to use our understanding of these
symptoms in humans to model the disorder in non-human animals:
- We can use our knowledge of the human disorder to guide the
diagnosis of the animal disorder. In particular, clinical
distinctions in the human disorder can be extremely useful in
refining diagnosis in animals.
- Similarly, we can infer treatment options for the animal
disorder from the established knowledge in humans.
- We can also begin to inferring the experience of these animals,
the welfare consequences of their behavior, and the welfare
consequences of different treatment options.
Further implications
If the abnormal behaviors that are so common in captive animals are
indicative of abnormal brain function, then these animals can hardly
be considered to be good models of normal animal or human functioning.
Indeed, abnormal behavior can have a profound impact on many
physiological and behavioral measures routinely taken in the
laboratory. Therefore demonstrating the relationship between abnormal
behavior and variables of interest to other scientists is the first
step in persuading the wider scientific community that improvements in
lab animal welfare are absolutely necessary in order to do good
science.
As a result I am also working on the 'standardization fallacy' (the
fact that supposedly standardized tests commonly used in
psychpharmacological research and highthroughput screening, are often
poorly replicable between laboratories). In particular I am interested
in how abnormal behavior might affect these tests, and whether taking
an interdisciplinary approach that integrates ethological and
statistical insights might be helpful in refining these tasks.
Finally, many of our more profound insights into the nature of
human experience has come from the study of abnormal behavior -
hopefully studying the abnormal behavior of non-human animals will
provide us with insights into the nature of their experience.
Current studies
At the moment I am pursuing these interests in two projects
addressing stereotypies and feather plucking in parrots, and
stereotypies and barbering (whisker trimming) in laboratory mice. In
particular my work with mice is attempting to relate these behaviors
to similar behaviors in human disorders such as autism, Tourette's
syndrome, and trichotillomania, with an ultimate eye to exploring the
genetic basis of these behaviors.
