This workshop, organised by the LASA 3Rs Section and UFAW, is scheduled for 25th September 2019 in Hertfordshire and will provide an up-to-date review of the assessment, prevention and alleviation of pain and distress in laboratory animals. The workshop will be of interest to veterinarians, animal technicians, research scientists, and members of ethics committees. This one-day workshop will also include time provided for discussion and reflection.
The relevant zebrafish topics covered will include:
Pain sensitivity & analgesia in fish – a practical guide for the laboratory
fish vet (presented by Paul Schroeder, Department of Biomedical Services, Oxford University, UK)
The question of whether fish have the capacity to experience a state akin to pain was first empirically addressed in Jan Verheijen’s seminal study on carps in 1983. Subsequently, comprehensive evidence has been presented not only on the anatomical prerequisites for a pain system in several fish species, but also for a behavioural component. Opinions against fish perceiving pain focus on the difference in neuroanatomy between higher mammals and lower vertebrates who do not possess a neocortex. True to Bateson’s criteria, the successful (behaviour sparing) use of analgesics in a variety of fish species of different developmental stages is to be interpreted as further evidence that fish are able to perceive pain and can be adversely affected by a painful event, while wider recognition of pain sensitivity in fish may be tied to future functional anatomy revelations – as has already happened in birds. Finally, with the increased understanding of pain sensitivity in fish there is also scope for a reevaluation of the principles of anaesthesia and how they apply to fish, with special focus on the delivery of analgesia as part of the anaesthetic triad.
To register for this meeting please complete the booking form below and return to the LASA Secretariat info@lasa.co.uk.