Assessing Appetitive Choice Discrimination Learning in Zebrafish

Abstract

Within the last decade, the zebrafish (Danio rerio) has emerged as an important vertebrate model in developmental biology and medicine for problems typically associated with humans. However, where behavioral assays are needed, the utility of the zebrafish model has been limited by the narrow range of procedures so far developed to investigate zebrafish learning. The purpose of this study was to further develop and test procedures to study appetitive choice discrimination learning in zebrafish. Zebrafish were conditioned to swim into one of three chambers for food reinforcement. The correct (S+) chamber on a trial was signaled by the presence of a light stimulus in the chamber; the two negative (S-) chambers were dark. Each of the 15 fish tested learned the discrimination to a criterion of 80% correct in both of two consecutive sessions. Tests for stimulus control showed that discriminative behavior was indeed under the control of the S+ discriminandum. These results were discussed in relation to the recent report of zebrafish discrimination learning in a two-alternative task, and the importance of examining individual zebrafish learning curves.

Zebrafish as potential model for developmental neurotoxicity testing

“…For example, a three chambered tank or a T-or plus maze can be used to assess spatial discrimination learning by measuring choice accuracy and response latency. As a reward either food or an enriched swimming environment can be used or a disciplinary action such as restriction of swimming space or the sight of a predator can be used to enforce learning (Bilotta et al, 2005;Colwill et al, 2005;Darland and Dowling, 2001;Levin et al, 2003;Pradel et al, 1999;Sison and Gerlai, 2010;Williams et al, 2002). In addition, a more simple paradigm was developed to test learning as a response to alternating computer-animated images of conspecifics which allows for highthroughput testing (Pather and Gerlai, 2009).…”

Y-Maze memory task in zebrafish (Danio rerio): The role of glutamatergic and cholinergic systems on the acquisition and consolidation periods

“…In the last decade, zebrafish have been gaining popularity in behavioral brain research (Sison & Gerlai, 2010). For instance, zebrafish performed well in several conditioning memory tasks, such as olfactory (Braubach, Wood, Gadbois, Fine, & Croll, 2009), shuttle box active appetitive (Pather & Gerlai, 2009) and appetitive choice discrimination (Bilotta, Risner, Davis, & Haggbloom, 2005). Moreover, this small vertebrate showed acquisition in one trial avoidance task (Blank, Guerim, Cordeiro, & Vianna, 2009) and achieved good performance in alternation memory tasks and plus maze non-spatial and spatial associative learning tasks (Al-Imari & Gerlai, 2008;Sison & Gerlai, 2010.…”

Automated visual choice discrimination learning in zebrafish (Danio rerio)

“…A method which can be used to study visual function as well as learning processes and memory retention was recently developed (Bilotta et al, 2005) and successfully used to determine the behavioral spectral sensitivity of adult zebrafish (Risner et al, 2006). Similar methods have been used for many years to study, e.g., color contrast and color constancy in goldfish (Dorr & Neumeyer, 2000Neumeyer et al, 2002).…”