“There are these dramatic daily fluctuations—in metabolism, in immune function, in learning and memory, in perception—and by the large, they get ignored,” said Randy Nelson, who led the study. “You just have to wonder: to what extent is that affecting the outcomes?”
"Even among the studies conducted at night, most didn’t describe in detail how the authors protected the rodents’ circadian rhythms. For example, at what times did the researchers observe the animals? Did they house the animals in the dark during the day? If so, how did they keep extraneous light from invading the room every time someone opened the door or turned on a hallway light? In most cases, it’s impossible to tell from the methods section."
"Failing to account for time of day doesn’t just jeopardize an animal study’s reproducibility. It can also make its results less applicable to humans."
"Even among the studies conducted at night, most didn’t describe in detail how the authors protected the rodents’ circadian rhythms. For example, at what times did the researchers observe the animals? Did they house the animals in the dark during the day? If so, how did they keep extraneous light from invading the room every time someone opened the door or turned on a hallway light? In most cases, it’s impossible to tell from the methods section."
"Failing to account for time of day doesn’t just jeopardize an animal study’s reproducibility. It can also make its results less applicable to humans."
WVU Today | Like night and day: Animal studies may not translate to humans if time of day is disregarded
Imagine being woken up at 3 a.m. to navigate a corn maze, memorize 20 items on a shopping list or pass your driver’s test. According to a new analysis out of West Virginia University, that’s often what it’s like to be a rodent in a biomedical study. Mice and rats, which make up the vast...
wvutoday.wvu.edu