Zebrafish: an emerging real-time model system to study Alzheimer’s disease and neurospecific drug discovery

Abstract

Zebrafish (Danio rerio) is emerging as an increasingly successful model for translational research on human neurological disorders. In this review, we appraise the high degree of neurological and behavioural resemblance of zebrafish with humans. It is highly validated as a powerful vertebrate model for investigating human neurodegenerative diseases. The neuroanatomic and neurochemical pathways of zebrafish brain exhibit a profound resemblance with the human brain. Physiological, emotional and social behavioural pattern similarities between them have also been well established. Interestingly, zebrafish models have been used successfully to simulate the pathology of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) as well as Tauopathy. Their relatively simple nervous system and the optical transparency of the embryos permit real-time neurological imaging. Here, we further elaborate on the use of recent real-time imaging techniques to obtain vital insights into the neurodegeneration that occurs in AD. Zebrafish is adeptly suitable for Ca2+ imaging, which provides a better understanding of neuronal activity and axonal dystrophy in a non-invasive manner. Three-dimensional imaging in zebrafish is a rapidly evolving technique, which allows the visualisation of the whole organism for an elaborate in vivo functional and neurophysiological analysis in disease condition. Suitability to high-throughput screening and similarity with humans makes zebrafish an excellent model for screening neurospecific compounds. Thus, the zebrafish model can be pivotal in bridging the gap from the bench to the bedside. This fish is becoming an increasingly successful model to understand AD with further scope for investigation in neurodevelopment and neurodegeneration, which promises exciting research opportunities in the future.

Mediterranean Natural Extracts Improved Cognitive Behavior in Zebrafish and Healthy Rats and Ameliorated LPS-induced Cognitive Impairment in a Sex Dependent Manner

“…However, expanding the range of experimental domains with the use of additional models, is now considered as an important strategy for translational neuroscience research (34). Recent data suggest zebra sh as an emerging successful model to study cognitive phenotypes and CNS related drug discovery (35)(36)(37). Accordingly, our behavioral results show that both GGRE and RE improved retention memory as indicated by the T-maze test.…”

Astrogliosis in an Experimental Model of Hypovitaminosis B12: A Cellular Basis of Neurological Disorders due to Cobalamin Deficiency

“…Other advantages of the zebrafish model include rapid embryonic development, high fecundity, quite low housing and experimental costs [ 39 , 41 ]. Moreover, zebrafish possess a vertebrate neural structural organization and have already been established as a valuable model system to study alteration of astrocyte homeostasis in vivo [ 42 , 43 , 44 ], including astrogliosis [ 45 , 46 ]. It was found that zebrafish have two intracellular cobalamin-dependent enzymes, which share an overall amino acid identity with the corresponding human enzymes of approx.…”

Genome-wide identification of novel long non-coding RNAs and their possible roles in hypoxic zebrafish brain

“…Moreover, zebrafish and the human brain have a high conservation in the neuroanatomical structures [19,20] and neurochemical pathways [21]. The zebrafish forebrain medial, dorsal, and lateral pallium has strong similarities with the humans’ amygdala, isocortex, and hippocampus, respectively [22,23]. Moreover, despite the size difference of particular zebrafish brain structures, major brain components, such as the diencephalon or the cerebellum, are highly conserved with the human brain [24].…”