Zebrafish Shoaling, Its Behavioral and Neurobiological Mechanisms, and Its Alteration by Embryonic Alcohol Exposure: A Review

Abstract

Social cognition and social behaviors are complex phenomena that involve numerous brain areas and underlying neurobiological mechanisms. Embryonic alcohol exposure may lead to the development of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), a disorder that manifests with varying symptoms including abnormal social behavior and other cognitive deficits. Animal models have been utilized to mimic aspects of the disease and to study potential underlying mechanisms. The zebrafish is a relative newcomer in this field but has been suggested as an optimal compromise between system complexity and practical simplicity for modeling FASD. Importantly, due to external fertilization and development of the embryo outside the mother and subsequent lack of parental care, this species allows precise control of the timing and dose of alcohol delivery during embryonic development. Furthermore, the zebrafish is a highly social species and thus may be particularly appropriate for the analysis of embryonic alcohol-induced alterations in this context. Here, we provide a succinct review focusing on shoaling, a prominent form of social behavior, in zebrafish. We summarize what is known about its behavioral mechanisms and underlying neurobiological processes, and how it is altered by exposure to ethanol during embryonic development. Lastly, we briefly consider possible future directions of research that would help us better understand the relationship between the behavioral expression and molecular basis of embryonic ethanol-induced social deficits in fish and humans.

Impaired Dopamine Release and Latent Learning in Alzheimer’s Disease Model Zebrafish

“…The lower tendency to leave the start box could be attributed to the decreased motivation of the fish to access the stimulus fish in the reward box. 63 The latency to leave the start box of chemically naive and vehicle-treated groups was not significantly different from each other. OKA-Treated Fish Required a Greater Amount of Time to Reach the Goal Box.…”

“…However, while the chemically naive and vehicle-treated fish left the start box almost immediately after removal of the divider (2.7 ± 0.4 and 3.4 ± 1.4 s, respectively), the OKA-treated fish displayed significantly higher latency (one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s post hoc analysis, p < 0.05) to leave the start box (27 ± 10 s). The lower tendency to leave the start box could be attributed to the decreased motivation of the fish to access the stimulus fish in the reward box . The latency to leave the start box of chemically naive and vehicle-treated groups was not significantly different from each other.…”

Altering Cell-Cell Interaction in Prenatal Alcohol Exposure Models: Insight on Cell-Adhesion Molecules During Brain Development

“…A more recently adopted model of PAE on neural development is the zebrafish (Danio rerio). Although in this model embryonic development is outside of the body, and the probability of alcohol penetration can vary in relation to the concentrations administered ( Ali et al, 2011 ; Meyers, 2018 ), the short development period and a large amount of offspring have made the zebrafish an important tool in the study of the effects of alcohol on development ( Facciol and Gerlai, 2020 ). Importantly, it has shown strong utility and has yielded important results regarding the effects of PAE on CAMs.…”

Avaliação da atividade locomotora e teste de toxicidade do eugenol utilizando zebrafish (danio rerio) adulto.

“…Um dos parâmetros para estudos comportamentais em larvas e animais adultos é a análise da AL por exploração de um campo aberto (Bichara et al, 2014;Ferreira et al, 2020). O teste de campo aberto é utilizado principalmente quando se tem o objetivo de analisar manifestações comportamentais sugestivas de ansiedade, estresse e o efeito de futuros fármacos.…”