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Johnson AL, Hurd PL, Hamilton TJ. Sex, drugs, and zebrafish: Acute exposure to anxiety-modulating compounds in a modified novel tank dive test. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2024; 243:173841. [PMID: 39074564 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2024.173841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2024] [Revised: 07/16/2024] [Accepted: 07/24/2024] [Indexed: 07/31/2024]
Abstract
This study investigated the effects of anxiogenic and anxiolytic drugs on zebrafish (Danio rerio) behaviour using a modified novel tank dive test with higher walls and a narrower depth. Zebrafish were administered chondroitin sulfate, beta-carboline, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), ethanol, and beta-caryophyllene, and their behaviours were evaluated for geotaxis, swimming velocity, and immobility. Both anxiogenic and anxiolytic compounds generally increased bottom-dwelling behaviour, suggesting that the tank's modified dimensions significantly influence zebrafish responses. EC50 values for ethanol showed a lower threshold for velocity reduction compared to zone preference. Chondroitin sulfate uniquely caused a sex-specific increase in male swimming velocity, whereas no other sex-differences were observed with any compound. Interestingly, the presence of drug-treated fish did not alter the behaviour of observer fish, suggesting limited social buffering effects. The findings underscore the complexity of zebrafish behavioural phenotypes and highlight the need for considering tank dimensions and multiple behavioural parameters to accurately assess the effects of anxiety-modulating drugs. This study demonstrates the utility of the modified novel tank dive test in providing nuanced insights into the behavioural effects of different pharmacological agents in zebrafish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andréa L Johnson
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, 2-132 Li Ka Shing Centre for Health Research, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6G 2E1
| | - Peter L Hurd
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, 2-132 Li Ka Shing Centre for Health Research, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6G 2E1; Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, P217 Biological Sciences Building, 11455 Saskatchewan Drive, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6G 2E9
| | - Trevor J Hamilton
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, 2-132 Li Ka Shing Centre for Health Research, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6G 2E1; Department of Psychology, MacEwan University, 6-329 City Centre Campus, 10700 - 104 Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T5J 4S2.
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2
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Li X, Feng T, Lu W. The effects of valproic acid neurotoxicity on aggressive behavior in zebrafish autism model. Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol 2024; 275:109783. [PMID: 37926328 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpc.2023.109783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Revised: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
Valproic acid (VPA) is an effective drug, which is preferred for the treatments of epilepsy and various kinds of seizures. Nonetheless, VPA has many side effects associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Therefore, we conducted molecular and behavior tests in adult proactive zebrafish after VPA exposure to investigate gene transcription changes, social behavior, aggression, anxiety and locomotion. Our findings revealed that VPA exposure generates ASD-like phenotypes and behaviors: genes associated with autism, such as adsl, mbd5 and shank3a altered; social interaction deficit. Further behavioral patterns suggest that VPA exposure induces decreases in aggression and increases the anxiety behavior and body cortisol significantly. VPA exposure did not affect locomotor activity in zebrafish. Additionally, we used correlative analyses to investigate the robustness between the ASD-related genes and the different behavior tests, results showed that ASD-related genes are negatively associated with aggressive behavior. Our study demonstrated that aggressive behavior assay is a better predictor of behavior for neurotoxicology of VPA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoxue Li
- National Demonstration Center for Experimental Fisheries Science Education, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China; Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Shanghai Ocean University, Ministry of Education, Shanghai 201306, China
| | - Tangsong Feng
- National Demonstration Center for Experimental Fisheries Science Education, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China; Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Shanghai Ocean University, Ministry of Education, Shanghai 201306, China
| | - Weiqun Lu
- National Demonstration Center for Experimental Fisheries Science Education, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China; Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Shanghai Ocean University, Ministry of Education, Shanghai 201306, China; International Research Center for Marine Biosciences at Shanghai Ocean University, Ministry of Science and Technology, Shanghai 201306, China.
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3
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Wu J, Yan B, Bao M, Shen J, Zheng P, Wu D, Wang J, Li Z, Jiang K. Early life exposure to chronic unpredictable stress induces anxiety-like behaviors and increases the excitability of cerebellar neurons in zebrafish. Behav Brain Res 2023; 437:114160. [PMID: 36257559 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2022.114160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2022] [Revised: 10/09/2022] [Accepted: 10/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Anxiety is a common emotional disorder in children. To understand its underlying mechanisms, chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) has been established as a stress model in zebrafish. By using the tall tank test, the stress response reliability could be improved in adult fish which has not been confirmed in larvae. In addition, the increasing evidences have shown that cerebellum plays important roles in anxiety. Whether CUS will affect cerebellar neuronal activity remains unknown. We found that CUS exposure to larvae (from 10 to 17 days post fertilization) induced anxiety-like behaviors and social cohesion impairments within 1-2 d after CUS, including a prolonged freezing time, an increased time spent at the bottom of tank, an increased thigmotaxis index, and an increased interindividual distance. Our results showed that the four behavioral tests were homogeneous, especially the tall tank test either anxiety-like behaviors or the basal locomotion. Furthermore, we found that CUS enhanced the excitability of cerebellar neurons, as the amplitude, frequency, time to peak and half-width of spontaneous firing significantly decreased, as well as the amplitude of excitatory post-synaptic current when compared with the control group. CUS also activated hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated and potassium channels of cerebellar neurons. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that the total distance in bottom (tall tank test) was correlated positively with outward Na+-K+ currents (r = 0.848, P = 0.016), and the thigmotaxis index (open field test) correlated with action potential amplitude (r = 0.854, P = 0.030). Altogether, early life CUS transiently induced an anxiety-like behavior which could be more accurately assessed by combining the tall tank test with other behavior tests in young zebrafish. CUS increased the excitability of cerebellar neurons might provide new targets to treat emotional diseases such as anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Wu
- Department of Child Psychology
| | | | | | - Jue Shen
- Department of Neurology, The Children's Hospital Zhejiang University School of Medicine, National Clinical Research Center For Child Health, 3333 Binsheng Road, Hangzhou 310051, China
| | | | - Dian Wu
- Department of Child Psychology
| | | | - Zhongxia Li
- Department of Pediatrics, The seventh affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University (Wuzhou GongRen Hospital), 1 Nansan Lane, Gaodi Road, Wuzhou City, Guangxi Province 543000, China
| | - Kewen Jiang
- Department of Child Psychology; Department of Biobank Center.
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4
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Shimizu K, Watanabe K, Konno N, Nakamachi T, Matsuda K. Comparative Observation and Analysis of Preference Behavior Based on Three Types of Taxes and Locomotor Activity in the Goldfish, Carassius auratus. Zoolog Sci 2023; 40:1-6. [PMID: 36744703 DOI: 10.2108/zs220059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Psychophysiological studies in vertebrates have focused on taxes as indicators of behavioral change. Actually, a considerable number of studies about anxiety-like and anti-anxiety-like behaviors involving geotaxis, scototaxis, and thigmotaxis have been conducted on fish. However, few analyses considering these behaviors based on taxes in fish have been conducted. Here, using goldfish, we measured the time spent in the bright or dark area of a horizontally long rectangular tank (HLRT), in the upper or lower area of a vertically long rectangular tank (VLRT), and in the central or edge area of a circular tank (CT), respectively, for the first 30 min and the last 30 min in a 3-h period after fish had been introduced to tanks. Dark, lower, and edge preference behaviors were observed for the first 30 min in all tanks. While dark and edge preference behaviors were maintained even for the last 30 min, the lower preference was lost. Swimming distance and the number of area crossings in each tank were also compared between the first 30 min and the last 30 min. Both decreased significantly or tended to decrease in the last 30 min in the HLRT and the CT, but no change was observed in the VLRT. These results suggest that, in goldfish, preference behavior is stable for a short time, and that environmental habituation may depend on the shape of the tank and the elapsed time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyoka Shimizu
- Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Toyama, Toyama 930-8555, Japan
| | - Keisuke Watanabe
- Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Graduate School of Innovative Life Sciences, University of Toyama, Toyama 930-8555, Japan
| | - Norifumi Konno
- Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Faculty of Science, Academic Assembly, University of Toyama, Toyama 930-8555, Japan
| | - Tomoya Nakamachi
- Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Faculty of Science, Academic Assembly, University of Toyama, Toyama 930-8555, Japan
| | - Kouhei Matsuda
- Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Graduate School of Innovative Life Sciences, University of Toyama, Toyama 930-8555, Japan, .,Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Faculty of Science, Academic Assembly, University of Toyama, Toyama 930-8555, Japan
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Ichikawa S, Abe R, Fujimoto H, Higashi K, Zang L, Nakayama H, Matsuoka I, Shimada Y. Paraburkholderia sabiae administration alters zebrafish anxiety-like behavior via gut microbial taurine metabolism. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1079187. [PMID: 36876090 PMCID: PMC9977788 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1079187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Interventions to the gut microbiome manipulate the gut-brain axis and could be useful in the treatment of anxiety and depression. In this study, we demonstrated that administration of the bacterium Paraburkholderia sabiae reduces anxiety-like behavior in adult zebrafish. P. sabiae administration increased the diversity of the zebrafish gut microbiome. Linear discriminant analysis Effect Size (LEfSe) analysis revealed that the populations of Actinomycetales including Nocardiaceae, Nocardia, Gordoniaceae, Gordonia, Nakamurellaceae, and Aeromonadaceae were reduced, whereas those of Rhizobiales including Xanthobacteraceae, Bradyrhizobiaceae, Rhodospirillaceae, and Pirellulaceae were increased in the gut microbiome. Functional analysis using Phylogenetic Investigation of Communities by Reconstruction of Unobserved States (PICRUSt2) predicted that P. sabiae administration altered taurine metabolism in the zebrafish gut, and we demonstrated that P. sabiae administration increased the taurine concentration in the brain. Since taurine functions as an antidepressant neurotransmitter in vertebrates, our results suggest that P. sabiae could improve anxiety-like behavior in zebrafish via the gut-brain axis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shunsuke Ichikawa
- Faculty of Education, Mie University, Tsu, Mie, Japan.,Mie University Zebrafish Drug Screening Center, Tsu, Japan
| | - Reimi Abe
- Faculty of Education, Mie University, Tsu, Mie, Japan
| | | | | | - Liqing Zang
- Mie University Zebrafish Drug Screening Center, Tsu, Japan.,Graduate School of Regional Innovation Studies, Mie University, Tsu, Mie, Japan
| | - Hiroko Nakayama
- Mie University Zebrafish Drug Screening Center, Tsu, Japan.,Graduate School of Regional Innovation Studies, Mie University, Tsu, Mie, Japan
| | - Izumi Matsuoka
- Mie University Zebrafish Drug Screening Center, Tsu, Japan
| | - Yasuhito Shimada
- Mie University Zebrafish Drug Screening Center, Tsu, Japan.,Department of Integrative Pharmacology, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu, Japan.,Department of Bioinformatics, Mie University Advanced Science Research Promotion Center, Tsu, Japan
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6
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Anwer H, O'Dea RE, Mason D, Zajitschek S, Klinke A, Reid M, Hesselson D, Noble DWA, Morris MJ, Lagisz M, Nakagawa S. The effects of an obesogenic diet on behavior and cognition in zebrafish (
Danio rerio
): Trait average, variability, repeatability, and behavioral syndromes. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9511. [DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2022] [Revised: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Hamza Anwer
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia
- Diabetes and Metabolism Division Garvan Institute of Medical Research Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Rose E. O'Dea
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Dominic Mason
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia
- Diabetes and Metabolism Division Garvan Institute of Medical Research Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Susanne Zajitschek
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia
- Diabetes and Metabolism Division Garvan Institute of Medical Research Sydney New South Wales Australia
- Liverpool John Moores University School of Biological and Environmental Sciences Liverpool UK
| | - Annabell Klinke
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Madeleine Reid
- Diabetes and Metabolism Division Garvan Institute of Medical Research Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Daniel Hesselson
- Diabetes and Metabolism Division Garvan Institute of Medical Research Sydney New South Wales Australia
- Centenary Institute and Faculty of Medicine and Health University of Sydney Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Daniel W. A. Noble
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology The Australian National University Canberra Australian Capital Territory Australia
| | - Margaret J. Morris
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medical Sciences University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Malgorzata Lagisz
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia
- Diabetes and Metabolism Division Garvan Institute of Medical Research Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Shinichi Nakagawa
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia
- Diabetes and Metabolism Division Garvan Institute of Medical Research Sydney New South Wales Australia
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7
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Anwer H, Mason D, Zajitschek S, Hesselson D, Noble DWA, Morris MJ, Lagisz M, Nakagawa S. Intergenerational effects of overfeeding on aversive learning in zebrafish ( Danio rerio). Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9423. [PMID: 36311397 PMCID: PMC9596326 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Revised: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The obesity epidemic is concerning as obesity appears to negatively impact cognition and behavior. Furthermore, some studies suggest that this negative effect could be carried across generations from both mothers and fathers although evidence is not consistent. Here, we attempt to address how obesogenic diets in the parental generation (F0) can impact offspring's cognition and anxiety intergenerationally (F1) in a zebrafish model. We compare both mean trait values and their variances. Using a multifactorial design, we created a total of four groups: F1T (treatment mothers × treatment fathers); F1M (treatment mothers × control fathers); F1P (treatment fathers × control mothers); and F1C (control mothers × control fathers, F1C); and subjected them to anxiety tank tests and aversive learning assays. When both parents were exposed, offspring (F1T) displayed the poorest aversive learning, while offspring that only had one parent exposed (F1P and F1M) learnt the aversive learning task the best. Zebrafish in all groups displayed no statistically significant differences in anxiety‐associated behaviors. Males and females also performed similarly in both anxiety and aversive learning assays. While all F1 groups had similar levels of fasting blood glucose, variance in glucose levels were reduced in F1P and F1T indicating the importance of investigating heteroskedasticity between groups. Furthermore, anxiety behaviors of these two groups appeared to be less repeatable. To our knowledge, this is the first study to test the intergenerational effects of an obesogenic diet on zebrafish cognition. Our multifactorial design as well as repeated tests also allowed us to disentangle maternal and paternal effects (as well as combined effects) and accurately detect subtle information such as between‐individual variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hamza Anwer
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental SciencesUniversity of New South WalesSydneyNew South WalesAustralia,Diabetes and Metabolism DivisionGarvan Institute of Medical ResearchDarlinghurst, SydneyNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Dominic Mason
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental SciencesUniversity of New South WalesSydneyNew South WalesAustralia,Diabetes and Metabolism DivisionGarvan Institute of Medical ResearchDarlinghurst, SydneyNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Susanne Zajitschek
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental SciencesUniversity of New South WalesSydneyNew South WalesAustralia,Diabetes and Metabolism DivisionGarvan Institute of Medical ResearchDarlinghurst, SydneyNew South WalesAustralia,Liverpool John Moores UniversitySchool of Biological and Environmental SciencesLiverpoolUK
| | - Daniel Hesselson
- Diabetes and Metabolism DivisionGarvan Institute of Medical ResearchDarlinghurst, SydneyNew South WalesAustralia,Centenary Institute and Faculty of Medicine and HealthUniversity of SydneySydneyNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Daniel W. A. Noble
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of BiologyThe Australian National UniversityCanberraAustralian Capital TerritoryAustralia
| | - Margaret J. Morris
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medical SciencesUniversity of New South WalesSydneyNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Malgorzata Lagisz
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental SciencesUniversity of New South WalesSydneyNew South WalesAustralia,Diabetes and Metabolism DivisionGarvan Institute of Medical ResearchDarlinghurst, SydneyNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Shinichi Nakagawa
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental SciencesUniversity of New South WalesSydneyNew South WalesAustralia,Diabetes and Metabolism DivisionGarvan Institute of Medical ResearchDarlinghurst, SydneyNew South WalesAustralia
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8
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Shenoy A, Banerjee M, Upadhya A, Bagwe-Parab S, Kaur G. The Brilliance of the Zebrafish Model: Perception on Behavior and Alzheimer’s Disease. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:861155. [PMID: 35769627 PMCID: PMC9234549 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.861155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has become increasingly prevalent in the elderly population across the world. It’s pathophysiological markers such as overproduction along with the accumulation of amyloid beta (Aβ) plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFT) are posing a serious challenge to novel drug development processes. A model which simulates the human neurodegenerative mechanism will be beneficial for rapid screening of potential drug candidates. Due to the comparable neurological network with humans, zebrafish has emerged as a promising AD model. This model has been thoroughly validated through research in aspects of neuronal pathways analogous to the human brain. The cholinergic, glutamatergic, and GABAergic pathways, which play a role in the manifested behavior of the zebrafish, are well defined. There are several behavioral models in both adult zebrafish and larvae to establish various aspects of cognitive impairment including spatial memory, associative memory, anxiety, and other such features that are manifested in AD. The zebrafish model eliminates the shortcomings of previously recognized mammalian models, in terms of expense, extensive assessment durations, and the complexity of imaging the brain to test the efficacy of therapeutic interventions. This review highlights the various models that analyze the changes in the normal behavioral patterns of the zebrafish when exposed to AD inducing agents. The mechanistic pathway adopted by drugs and novel therapeutic strategies can be explored via these behavioral models and their efficacy to slow the progression of AD can be evaluated.
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9
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Yoshida M. Recording the ventilation activity of free-swimming zebrafish and its application to novel tank tests. Physiol Behav 2022; 244:113665. [PMID: 34871650 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2021.113665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2021] [Revised: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Bioelectric signals related to ventilatory movements in fish can be detected via externally located electrodes. In this study, a technique to continuously monitor the electric ventilatory signals in free-swimming zebrafish was developed. This technique was applied to monitoring ventilation activity as a physiological measure in conjunction with various behavioral measures in a novel tank environment. It was found that in addition to ventilation rate, time domain analysis of changes in ventilation rate is useful for evaluating the emotional state of zebrafish. By integrating the physiological and behavioral measures in analyses, a 1 h novel tank test trial revealed that the habituation process involves two phases. The first phase, which lasted 10 min, involved rapid attenuation of the initial fear/anxiety response to encountering a novel environment. The second phase lasted 20 min and involved further attenuation of anxiety and an increase in exploration behavior. These data suggest that combining ventilation-related physiological measures with conventional behavioral measures enables multidimensional examination of the habituation process in a novel tank environment with more precision than is possible when relying on behavioral responses alone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masayuki Yoshida
- Graduate School of Integrated Sciences for Life, Hiroshima University, 1-4-4 Kagamiyama, Higashihiroshima 739-8528, Japan.
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10
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The impact of water changes on stress and subject variation in a zebrafish (Danio rerio) anxiety-related task. J Neurosci Methods 2021; 363:109347. [PMID: 34478765 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2021.109347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2021] [Revised: 08/23/2021] [Accepted: 08/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Zebrafish have been widely used to study anxiety-related phenotypes using the novel tank test (NTT). Although the NTT is well-characterized and commonly used by researchers, there is still a lack of information regarding how different experimental variables such as water quality can influence NTT performance. Zebrafish use different chemical cues and olfactory stimuli to communicate in water, so we predicted that water change frequency would affect cortisol, locomotion and anxiety-related parameters in the NTT. NEW METHODS After extensive literature research, we found that only about 18% of papers using NTT report partial or complete water changes between subjects. Here, we tested multiple zebrafish in the NTT using the same water up to 9 consecutive times (with no water change) and analyzed cortisol levels, as a stressrelated marker. RESULTS We found that when using the same water for more than 4 trials, data variability is increased and a higher number of extreme values is observed for the time spent in the top zone and immobility. Moreover, after 4 trials with no water change, increased cortisol levels are observed, indicating that animals show increased stressrelated responses with the lack of water changes. CONCLUSIONS This study shows that lack of water change can significantly influence zebrafish stress-responses in the NTT. Altogether, behavioral experiments should avoid using the same water when testing multiple fish in the task, especially when looking at anxiety in the NTT.
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