Full Title Name:  Methods and Welfare Considerations in Behavioral Research with Animals

Summary: Behavioral research has made significant contributions to the understanding, treatment, and prevention of behavioral disorders. Experimental animals play an essential role in this work. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), together with other institutes of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that have relevant research programs, prepared this handbook. The handbook provides a description of and references for commonly used behavioral research methods and associated animal welfare considerations in accordance with Federal laws governing animal research. It is intended to assist Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees (IACUCs) in their reviews of protocols involving animal behavior and animal cognition, particularly when expertise is not available on the committee, and to assist investigators in planning their experiments.