The question of animal experimentation bears directly on EA funding decisions.
There is no “vegan” way out for some kinds of studies. I personally would volunteer for some kinds of experiments, if I had just a short time to live. Even that would not cover all of the necessary cases, and I might be prevented.
For example, we urgently need to map fluid flows in the brain. When we sleep, flows in the “glymphatic system” turn on and off. We barely understand this phenomenon.
If we knew more, we could try new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, sleep disorders and mental illness. Medication dosing would become more accurate, and we might even know more about how cancers in the brain spread.
Institutional Review Boards get confused about these issues, too. Without clarity, both fighting disease and human enhancement (for good or bad) will be hampered.
That’s why we need clear vision in neuroethics. Ethical theory very quickly feeds into research approval and funding determinations.
I don’t think we don’t know yet!
But here is Ben Barres’ related NIH Grant: “An Astrocytic Basis for Humanity”
https://projectreporter.nih.gov/project_info_description.cfm?aid=9068256&icde=34843317&ddparam=&ddvalue=&ddsub=&cr=2&csb=default&cs=ASC&pball=
Sadly, Prof. Barres, one the most respected neuroscientists in the country, has terminal cancer.
I don’t know what will happen to this grant. Stanford’s astrocyte research is at risk if they lose funding. However, there are plenty of people at Stanford now who would continue the tradition if they could.