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Fernandes YM, Rampersad M, Luchiari AC, Gerlai R. Associative learning in the multichamber tank: A new learning paradigm for zebrafish. Behav Brain Res 2016; 312:279-84. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2016.06.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2016] [Revised: 04/24/2016] [Accepted: 06/20/2016] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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52
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Ruberto T, Mwaffo V, Singh S, Neri D, Porfiri M. Zebrafish response to a robotic replica in three dimensions. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2016; 3:160505. [PMID: 27853566 PMCID: PMC5098991 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.160505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2016] [Accepted: 09/12/2016] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
As zebrafish emerge as a species of choice for the investigation of biological processes, a number of experimental protocols are being developed to study their social behaviour. While live stimuli may elicit varying response in focal subjects owing to idiosyncrasies, tiredness and circadian rhythms, video stimuli suffer from the absence of physical input and rely only on two-dimensional projections. Robotics has been recently proposed as an alternative approach to generate physical, customizable, effective and consistent stimuli for behavioural phenotyping. Here, we contribute to this field of investigation through a novel four-degree-of-freedom robotics-based platform to manoeuvre a biologically inspired three-dimensionally printed replica. The platform enables three-dimensional motions as well as body oscillations to mimic zebrafish locomotion. In a series of experiments, we demonstrate the differential role of the visual stimuli associated with the biologically inspired replica and its three-dimensional motion. Three-dimensional tracking and information-theoretic tools are complemented to quantify the interaction between zebrafish and the robotic stimulus. Live subjects displayed a robust attraction towards the moving replica, and such attraction was lost when controlling for its visual appearance or motion. This effort is expected to aid zebrafish behavioural phenotyping, by offering a novel approach to generate physical stimuli moving in three dimensions.
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53
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54
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The effect of the number and size of animated conspecific images on shoaling responses of zebrafish. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2015; 139 Pt B:94-102. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2015.01.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2014] [Revised: 12/15/2014] [Accepted: 01/19/2015] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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55
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Abril-de-Abreu R, Cruz J, Oliveira RF. Social Eavesdropping in Zebrafish: Tuning of Attention to Social Interactions. Sci Rep 2015; 5:12678. [PMID: 26242246 PMCID: PMC4525141 DOI: 10.1038/srep12678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2015] [Accepted: 07/06/2015] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Group living animals may eavesdrop on signalling interactions between conspecifics in order to collect adaptively relevant information obtained from others, without incurring in the costs of first-hand information acquisition. This ability (aka social eavesdropping) is expected to impact Darwinian fitness, and hence predicts the evolution of cognitive processes that enable social animals to use public information available in the environment. These adaptive specializations in cognition may have evolved both at the level of learning and memory mechanisms, and at the level of input mechanisms, such as attention, which select the information that is available for learning. Here we used zebrafish to test if attention in a social species is tuned to the exchange of information between conspecifics. Our results show that zebrafish are more attentive towards interacting (i.e. fighting) than towards non-interacting pairs of conspecifics, with the exposure to fighting not increasing activity or stress levels. Moreover, using video playbacks to manipulate form features of the fighting fish, we show that during the assessment phase of the fight, bystanders’ attention is more driven by form features of the interacting opponents; whereas during the post-resolution phase, it is driven by biological movement features of the dominant fish chasing the subordinate fish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo Abril-de-Abreu
- 1] Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Rua da Quinta Grande 6, 2780-156, Oeiras, Portugal [2] ISPA - Instituto Universitário, Rua Jardim do Tabaco 34, 1149-041 Lisboa, Portugal [3] Champalimaud Neuroscience Programme, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Av. de Brasilia, 1400-038 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - José Cruz
- 1] Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Rua da Quinta Grande 6, 2780-156, Oeiras, Portugal [2] ISPA - Instituto Universitário, Rua Jardim do Tabaco 34, 1149-041 Lisboa, Portugal [3] Champalimaud Neuroscience Programme, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Av. de Brasilia, 1400-038 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Rui F Oliveira
- 1] Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Rua da Quinta Grande 6, 2780-156, Oeiras, Portugal [2] ISPA - Instituto Universitário, Rua Jardim do Tabaco 34, 1149-041 Lisboa, Portugal [3] Champalimaud Neuroscience Programme, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Av. de Brasilia, 1400-038 Lisboa, Portugal
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56
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Acute caffeine administration affects zebrafish response to a robotic stimulus. Behav Brain Res 2015; 289:48-54. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2015.04.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2015] [Revised: 04/08/2015] [Accepted: 04/11/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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57
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Fernandes Y, Rampersad M, Gerlai AR. Impairment of social behaviour persists two years after embryonic alcohol exposure in zebrafish: A model of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Behav Brain Res 2015; 292:102-108. [PMID: 26097005 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2015.05.060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2015] [Revised: 05/23/2015] [Accepted: 05/29/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Zebrafish naturally form social groups called shoals. Previously, we have shown that submerging zebrafish eggs into low concentrations of alcohol (0.00, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75 and 1.00 vol/vol% external bath concentration) during development (24h post-fertilization) for two hours resulted in impaired shoaling response in seven month old young adult zebrafish. Here we investigate whether this embryonic alcohol exposure induced behavioural deficit persists to older age. Zebrafish embryos were exposed either to fresh system water (control) or to 1% alcohol for two hours, 24h after fertilization, and were raised in a high-density tank system. Social behaviour was tested by presenting the experimental fish with a computer animated group of zebrafish images, while automated tracking software measured their behaviour. Control fish were found to respond strongly to animated conspecific images by reducing their distanceand remaining close to the images during image presentation, embryonic alcohol treated fish did not. Our results suggest that the impaired shoaling response of the alcohol exposed fish was not due to altered motor function or visual perception, but likely to a central nervous system alteration affecting social behaviour itself. We found the effects of embryonic alcohol exposure on social behaviour not to diminish with age, a result that demonstrates the deleterious and potentially life-long consequences of exposure to even small amount of alcohol during embryonic development in vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - And Robert Gerlai
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto.,Department of Cell and System Biology, University of Toronto
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58
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Gerlai R. Embryonic alcohol exposure: Towards the development of a zebrafish model of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Dev Psychobiol 2015; 57:787-98. [DOI: 10.1002/dev.21318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2015] [Accepted: 04/08/2015] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Robert Gerlai
- Department of Psychology; University of Toronto Mississsauga; 3359 Mississauga Road North Mississauga Ontario L5L 1C6 Canada
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59
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Ladu F, Bartolini T, Panitz SG, Chiarotti F, Butail S, Macrì S, Porfiri M. Live Predators, Robots, and Computer-Animated Images Elicit Differential Avoidance Responses in Zebrafish. Zebrafish 2015; 12:205-14. [DOI: 10.1089/zeb.2014.1041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Fabrizio Ladu
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, New York University Polytechnic School of Engineering, Brooklyn, New York
| | - Tiziana Bartolini
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, New York University Polytechnic School of Engineering, Brooklyn, New York
| | - Sarah G. Panitz
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, New York University Polytechnic School of Engineering, Brooklyn, New York
| | - Flavia Chiarotti
- Section of Neurotoxicology and Neuroendocrinology, Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Sachit Butail
- Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology Delhi (IIITD), New Delhi, India
| | - Simone Macrì
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, New York University Polytechnic School of Engineering, Brooklyn, New York
- Section of Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Maurizio Porfiri
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, New York University Polytechnic School of Engineering, Brooklyn, New York
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60
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61
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Way GP, Ruhl N, Snekser JL, Kiesel AL, McRobert SP. A Comparison of Methodologies to Test Aggression in Zebrafish. Zebrafish 2015; 12:144-51. [DOI: 10.1089/zeb.2014.1025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Gregory P. Way
- Department of Biology, Saint Joseph's University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Nathan Ruhl
- Department of Biological Sciences, Rowan University, Glassboro, New Jersey
| | | | - Alexis L. Kiesel
- Department of Biology, Saint Joseph's University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Scott P. McRobert
- Department of Biology, Saint Joseph's University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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62
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Fernandes Y, Rampersad M, Gerlai R. Embryonic alcohol exposure impairs the dopaminergic system and social behavioral responses in adult zebrafish. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2015; 18:pyu089. [PMID: 25568285 PMCID: PMC4438539 DOI: 10.1093/ijnp/pyu089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2014] [Accepted: 10/26/2014] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The zebrafish is a powerful neurobehavioral genetics tool with which complex human brain disorders including alcohol abuse and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders may be modeled and investigated. Zebrafish innately form social groups called shoals. Previously, it has been demonstrated that a single bath exposure (24 hours postfertilization) to low doses of alcohol (0, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, and 1% vol/vol) for a short duration (2 hours) leads to impaired group forming, or shoaling, in adult zebrafish. METHODS In the current study, we immersed zebrafish eggs in a low concentration of alcohol (0.5% or 1% vol/vol) for 2 hours at 24 hours postfertilization and let the fish grow and reach adulthood. In addition to quantifying the behavioral response of the adult fish to an animated shoal, we also measured the amount of dopamine and its metabolite 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid from whole brain extracts of these fish using high-pressure liquid chromatograph. RESULTS Here we confirm that embryonic alcohol exposure makes adult zebrafish increase their distance from the shoal stimulus in a dose-dependent manner. We also show that the shoal stimulus increases the amount of dopamine and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid in the brain of control zebrafish but not in fish previously exposed to alcohol during their embryonic development. CONCLUSIONS We speculate that one of the mechanisms that may explain the embryonic alcohol-induced impaired shoaling response in zebrafish is dysfunction of reward mechanisms subserved by the dopaminergic system.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Robert Gerlai
- Department of Psychology (Mr Fernandes, Ms Rampersad, and Dr Gerlai), and Department of Cell and System Biology (Dr Gerlai), University of Toronto, Mississauga, Canada.
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63
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Fernandes Y, Talpos A, Gerlai R. Towards the characterization of short-term memory of zebrafish: effect of fixed versus random reward location. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2015; 56:189-95. [PMID: 25260259 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2014.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2014] [Revised: 09/15/2014] [Accepted: 09/19/2014] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The zebrafish has been proposed as an efficient tool for the analysis of behavioral and neurobiological mechanisms of learning and memory. However, compared to traditional laboratory rodents, it is a relatively newcomer. In fact, only limited information on its mnemonic and cognitive abilities has been obtained, and only a small number of learning and memory paradigms have been available for its testing. Previously, we have shown that zebrafish are capable of learning the systematic alternating sequence of reward location in a shuttle box task in which we evaluated behavioral responses manually. Here, we employ a computerized, automated version of this task. We study whether zebrafish can remember the prior location of a reward (the sight of conspecifics) when the location is fixed (constant), or when the sequence of the location of presentation randomly changes between the left and the right side of the experimental tank. We also analyze performance features including the swim speed of experimental fish as well as the temporal changes of the position of fish when the reward (stimulus) is not presented. Our results show that under both the fixed and randomly changing reward location conditions zebrafish exhibit a significant preference for the prior location of reward, albeit the preference is stronger under the fixed location condition. We conclude that adult zebrafish have short-term associative memory that can be induced and quantified in an automated manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yohaan Fernandes
- Department of Cell & System Biology, University of Toronto, Canada
| | - Andrea Talpos
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Canada
| | - Robert Gerlai
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Canada; Department of Cell & System Biology, University of Toronto, Canada.
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64
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Frommen J, Hanak S, Schmidl C, Thünken T. Visible Implant Elastomer tagging influences social preferences of zebrafish (Danio rerio). BEHAVIOUR 2015. [DOI: 10.1163/1568539x-00003303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Identification of individuals is a prerequisite in many behavioural studies. Visible Implant Elastomer (VIE) colour tags are a well-established way to mark animals. VIE tagging does not seem to affect individual growth or survival. However, studies verifying their neutrality during social interactions are less common. Here, individual male and female zebrafish Danio rerio were simultaneously given the choice between two shoals, each consisting of six fish. Members of one shoal were uniformly marked with one VIE tag of a given colour, whereas the other shoal was sham-tagged. In total, 10 different colours were used. Test fish spent significantly more time near the tagged shoal (56%) than near the sham-tagged shoal (44%). Tag colour did not significantly influence the preferences. The results highlight the importance of confirming the neutrality of colour tags before using them in behavioural studies. Especially, our study advises caution when using marked and unmarked fish simultaneously.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joachim G. Frommen
- aDepartment of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Wohlenstrasse 50a, 3032 Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
- bDepartment of Integrative Biology and Evolution, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Savoyenstr. 1a, 1160 Vienna, Austria
| | - Sophie Hanak
- bDepartment of Integrative Biology and Evolution, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Savoyenstr. 1a, 1160 Vienna, Austria
| | - Christina A. Schmidl
- bDepartment of Integrative Biology and Evolution, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Savoyenstr. 1a, 1160 Vienna, Austria
| | - Timo Thünken
- aDepartment of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Wohlenstrasse 50a, 3032 Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
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65
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Short-term memory in zebrafish (Danio rerio). Behav Brain Res 2014; 270:29-36. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2014.04.046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2014] [Revised: 04/25/2014] [Accepted: 04/28/2014] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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66
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Bruni G, Lakhani P, Kokel D. Discovering novel neuroactive drugs through high-throughput behavior-based chemical screening in the zebrafish. Front Pharmacol 2014; 5:153. [PMID: 25104936 PMCID: PMC4109429 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2014.00153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2014] [Accepted: 06/11/2014] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Most neuroactive drugs were discovered through unexpected behavioral observations. Systematic behavioral screening is inefficient in most model organisms. But, automated technologies are enabling a new phase of discovery-based research in central nervous system (CNS) pharmacology. Researchers are using large-scale behavior-based chemical screens in zebrafish to discover compounds with new structures, targets, and functions. These compounds are powerful tools for understanding CNS signaling pathways. Substantial differences between human and zebrafish biology will make it difficult to translate these discoveries to clinical medicine. However, given the molecular genetic similarities between humans and zebrafish, it is likely that some of these compounds will have translational utility. We predict that the greatest new successes in CNS drug discovery will leverage many model systems, including in vitro assays, cells, rodents, and zebrafish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giancarlo Bruni
- Cardiovascular Research Center, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Parth Lakhani
- Cardiovascular Research Center, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - David Kokel
- Cardiovascular Research Center, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School Charlestown, MA, USA
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67
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Gerlai R. Social behavior of zebrafish: from synthetic images to biological mechanisms of shoaling. J Neurosci Methods 2014; 234:59-65. [PMID: 24793400 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2014.04.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2014] [Revised: 04/20/2014] [Accepted: 04/24/2014] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The zebrafish strikes a good balance between system complexity and practical simplicity and as a result it is becoming increasingly frequently utilized in biomedical research as a translational tool. Numerous human brain disorders are associated with abnormal social behavior and the zebrafish has been suggested for modeling such disorders. To start this line of research, however, one may need to first thoroughly examine the laboratory organism, zebrafish, and its features, social behavior in this case. Proper methods need be developed to induce and quantify social behavior. These paradigms may be able to open a window to the brain and facilitate the understanding of the biological mechanisms of social behavior and its abnormalities. This review is based on an oral paper presented at the last Measuring Behavior Conference, and as such it is mainly focused on research conducted in my own laboratory. Tracing the temporal progression of our own work, it discusses questions including what shoaling is, how it can be induced and measured and how it can be utilized in the modeling of certain human brain disorders, for example, alcohol induced abnormalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Gerlai
- University of Toronto Mississauga, Department of Psychology, Canada.
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