Example animal and insect biology dissertation topic 3:

Longer term behavioural effects of mephedrone upon rabbits

An extracted alkaloid of qhat, mephedrone (4-Methylmethcaninone, known also as meow-meow) was banned as a Class-B substance in 2010. Although this paper does not suggest that the ban was inappropriate, it follows up on the suggestion by The Lancet that the effects of mephedrone had not been sufficiently studied. Using a laboratory sample of four rabbits, this dissertation considers the effect of mephedrone use on a longer term basis, with a particular emphasis on the sympathomimetic toxicity of the drug. This dissertation maintains relevance as the recreational use of mephedrone continues despite its reclassification as a Class-B substance.

Suggested initial topic reading:

• Winstock, A., Mitcheson, L., Ramsey, J., Davies, S., Puchnarewicz, M. and Marsden, J. (2011) ‘Mephedrone: use, subjective effects and health risks’, Addiction, Vol. 106, pp. 1991-1996.
• Wood, D.M., Davies, S., Puchnarewicz, M., Button, J., Archer, R., Ovaska, H., Ramsey, J., Lee, T., Holt, D.W. and Dargan, P.I. (2010) ‘Recreational use of mephedrone (4-Methylmethcathinone, 4-MMC) with associated sympathomimetic toxicity’, Journal of Medical Toxicology, Vol. 6(3), pp. 327-330.