Well, as this article explains, it can and does.

That's not quite the process... also, you want to exploit people?

The thing about the testing (especially brain testing) is that it's super invasive, many times involving the death of the subject in order to visually see the brain or take samples. Drug testing results in debilitating conditions or death.

Subjecting humans to this would be horrible. Having "depressed people", or "prisoners", or any other human you suggest would be far more ethically and morally bankrupt than testing on the mice.

I think all life is valuable. However, mice reproduce very quickly, they live short lives, they are small one have traits that make them good for observing because they are close to humans, and they are also well... animals.

Humans have an innate need to discover things. Doing it this way is surprisingly the lesser of two evils. No matter what you think of medical animal testing, you've reaped its benefits at some point in your life.

If it makes you feel any better, the scientists are very nice to them.

Unfortunately, there isn't. Computer modelling just isn't there. Not to mention, getting natural physical reactions is impossible to model in any form other than observing live specimens in real time.

It's unfortunate. However necessary, unless you're willing to expend human lives to advance research.

I don't think letting synths run free is a good thing. If they start self replicating, it is over for humans any time they so choose. Humans can be trusting, but it's not in our nature to allow such competition to survive. Synths aren't affected by radiation, hunger, thirst, poison, and can replace destroyed limbs. They are perfect for the wasteland. Smart machines which can be terrifying combatants or perfect slaves.

Figuring out chemical factors in the brain, especially pertaining to mental health, is invaluable to helping people with mental illness.

You're only looking at the simplified underlying results of the test, not the scientific goals. They can determine the areas of the brain affected and ways to combat it. Chemicals needed, so more research into drugs could be gleaned from this.

Not to mention everything is worse here. (In the west). Except for the great depression, there's no metric for the hell we live in. High rent, low wage hell. Getting hot as hell too.

Honestly. From personal experience, I'd argue both simply based on the total number of people in my study (1, me). I never used to be like this. I forget many words, forget tasks, get distracted more easily, have trouble sitting through a movie, trouble staying on task. I never had this problem till a few years ago (32 years old now). It's been noticeable for me. I've known something is wrong for a time now. Wasn't sure what. Not 100% sure, but this seems like a good explanation of how my mind has changed since after highschool.

There are a few dams in the lake by my cottage, big lake, typically slow moving water (its a hydro dam lake over 6 km long with a few tributaries). They stay near the shore in small coves generally, but there are a few here and there.