A Mini-Review Regarding the Modalities to Study Neurodevelopmental Disorders-Like Impairments in Zebrafish—Focussing on Neurobehavioural and Psychological Responses

Abstract

Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) are complex disorders which can be associated with many comorbidities and exhibit multifactorial-dependent phenotypes. An important characteristic is represented by the early onset of the symptoms, during childhood or young adulthood, with a great impact on the socio-cognitive functioning of the affected individuals. Thus, the aim of our review is to describe and to argue the necessity of early developmental stages zebrafish models, focusing on NDDs, especially autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and also on schizophrenia. The utility of the animal models in NDDs or schizophrenia research remains quite controversial. Relevant discussions can be opened regarding the specific characteristics of the animal models and the relationship with the etiologies, physiopathology, and development of these disorders. The zebrafish models behaviors displayed as early as during the pre-hatching embryo stage (locomotor activity prone to repetitive behavior), and post-hatching embryo stage, such as memory, perception, affective-like, and social behaviors can be relevant in ASD and schizophrenia research. The neurophysiological processes impaired in both ASD and schizophrenia are generally highly conserved across all vertebrates. However, the relatively late individual development and conscious social behavior exhibited later in the larval stage are some of the most important limitations of these model animal species.

Current Aspects on the Plastic Nano- and Microparticles Toxicity in Zebrafish—Focus on the Correlation between Oxidative Stress Responses and Neurodevelopment

“…However, further studies regarding these aspects are needed, as the patterns were shown to be dependent on the type, size, and doses of plastic particles used in exposure. Also, the molecular mechanisms underlying the behavioral impairments and their correlation with OS mechanisms could be further studied in the context of plastic NPs/MPs intoxication, since the correlation between two out of the three components of this multifactorial interaction has already described [9,[32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40].…”

“…Thus, it has been shown that plastic nano-/microparticles (NPs/MPs) tended to accumulate in the lungs following inhalation from environmental sources [7], or in the gastrointestinal tract of some fish species from waters polluted with plastic NPs/MPs [8]. The severe intoxication of plastic NPs/MPs mainly resulted in immediate negative outcomes, such as organic impairments and tissue damage, as well as long-termed negative effects, such as developmental retardation and defects, chronic inflammation, OS, metabolic imbalance, and mutagenic and teratogenic potential [7][8][9][10][11].…”

“…In this context, it is also valuable to mention that zebrafish reach the peak of cognitive development in 90 dpf (days after fertilization) through a process that progresses rapidly from the embryonic stage, larvae (72 hpf), juveniles (30 dpf), until the adult stage [30]. While behavioral and molecular models are gradually developing during this period, the range of biomarkers has becoming more complex and provides a powerful assessment tool for aggression, sleep, locomotion, memory, and social preferences [9,31].…”

“…Despite the fact that the zebrafish brain is less complex than rodent and human brains, it is a major source of reactive oxygen species and is thus the most susceptible tissue to oxidative stress damage, one of the most common preserved traits. The effects of OS on the cerebral tissues and central nervous system were previously extensively discussed by our group while describing new pathophysiological patterns or bringing additional evidence to support the emergent OS pathological hypothesis in neurophysiology [9,[32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40]. In this context, the evaluation of enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants and OS effects on cellular and molecular structures could be observed in zebrafish in a tissue-specific manner but is not restricted to it [41].…”