animal models

n. The use of animals to investigate aspects of human function that are difficult to study in humans. Animal models are frequently used in medicine, in which animals can be subjected to diseases or other treatment contemporary ethics prevents scientists from using with humans. Animal models are also used when their functioning in some area is much simpler or easier to study than in humans; for example, aplasia, a kind of flatworm, is used in many neuronal studies because it has few and large neurons.