Journals can help protect animal welfare—Response.

This article addresses the justification and ethical considerations of using monkeys in laboratory research on audiomotor synchronization to investigate the neural bases of rhythmic cognition. The authors explain that their experimental design prioritized animal welfare through refined training, minimal restraint, and strict hydration monitoring, with all procedures approved by the Ethics in Research Committee of the Institute of Neurobiology at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) under protocol 090.A, adhering to the 3Rs of animal research (replacement, reduction, and refinement). They argue that nonhuman primates are currently the only suitable models for studying complex cognitive behaviors relevant to human neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases. The research aims to contribute to medical knowledge that could inform interventions using music and rhythm for cognitive disabilities. [Extracted from the article]