Use of albino animals for auditory research

Abstract

Since Hearing Research commenced publication, 51% of reports involving the use of guinea pigs provide no information on whether the animals used were albino or pigmented. Recent evidence creates a strong suspicion that the albino mutation can influence both peripheral and central auditory function. It is concluded that information on pigmentation should always be provided in reports of auditory experiments on guinea pigs, and that the only justification for using albino animals in auditory research is to study effects of the albino mutation on hearing.