Face the Facts: Marmoset Experiments at UMass
- Drills holes into the skulls of tiny marmoset monkeys1
- Threads electrode leads down through their abdomens1
- Zip-ties them into restraining devices2
- Surgically removes the females’ ovaries3
- Deprives them of fluids to coerce them into cooperating4
- Administers hormone-manipulating drugs3,5
- Separates them from their cagemates in order to cause stress6,7
- Holds hand warmers against their bodies to simulate hot flashes3
- Uses male monkeys as a control group1,3
- Then kills them.8
Learn more about the deadly experiments here.
1Gervais NJ, Viechweg SS, Mong JA, Lacreuse A. The middle-aged ovariectomized marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) as a model of menopausal symptoms: Preliminary evidence. Neuroscience. 2016;337:1-8. doi:10.1016/j.neuroscience.2016.08.056
2Nephew BC, Febo M, Cali R, et al. Robustness of sex-differences in functional connectivity over time in middle-aged marmosets. Sci Rep. 2020;10(1):16647. doi:10.1038/s41598-020-73811-9.
3Gervais NJ, Remage-Healey L, Starrett JR, Pollak DJ, Mong JA, Lacreuse A. Adverse Effects of Aromatase Inhibition on the Brain and Behavior in a Nonhuman Primate. J Neurosci. 2019;39(5):918-928. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0353-18.2018
4Workman KP, Healey B, Carlotto A, Lacreuse A. One-year change in cognitive flexibility and fine motor function in middle-aged male and female marmosets (Callithrix jacchus). Am J Primatol. 2019;81(2):e22924. doi:10.1002/ajp.22924
5LaClair M, Lacreuse A. Reversal learning in gonadectomized marmosets with and without hormone replacement: are males more sensitive to punishment? Anim Cogn. 2016;19(3):619-630. doi:10.1007/s10071-016-0966-5
6Rothwell ES, Workman KP, Wang D, Lacreuse A. Sex differences in cognitive aging: a 4-year longitudinal study in marmosets. Neurobiol Aging. 2022;109:88-99. doi:10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2021.09.015
7Vaughan E, Le A, Casey M, Workman KP, Lacreuse A. Baseline cortisol levels and social behavior differ as a function of handedness in marmosets (Callithrix jacchus). Am J Primatol. 2019;81(9):e23057. doi:10.1002/ajp.23057
8Edwards M, Lam S, Ranjan R, Pereira M, Babbitt C, Lacreuse A. Letrozole treatment alters hippocampal gene expression in common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus). Horm Behav. 2023;147:105281. doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2022.105281
