Abstract
Zebrafish larvae have several biological features that make them useful for cellular investigations of the mechanisms underlying learning and memory. Of particular interest in this regard is a rapid escape, or startle, reflex possessed by zebrafish larvae; this reflex, the C-start, is mediated by a relatively simple neuronal circuit and exhibits habituation, a non-associative form of learning. Here we demonstrate a rapid form of habituation of the C-start to touch that resembles the previously reported rapid habituation induced by auditory or vibrational stimuli. We also show that touch-induced habituation exhibits input specificity. This work sets the stage for in vivo optical investigations of the cellular sites of plasticity that mediate habituation of the C-start in the larval zebrafish.
Highlights
Zebrafish larvae are emerging as an important model organism for gaining biological insights into behavior [1]
We found that larvae exposed to strychnine (StrychTC group) exhibited a significantly altered escape response within 60 min compared to a vehicle-treated control group (E3TC) (Fig 5A)
We have found that application of shocks or water pulses to the head of zebrafish larvae elicits a startle response from them whose short latency is consistent with mediation by an Mauthner cells (M-cells) or M-cell analog [15, 19, 20, 22]
Summary
Zebrafish larvae are emerging as an important model organism for gaining biological insights into behavior [1]. Forward genetic screens are being developed to identify genes that play critical roles in behavior in larval zebrafish [9] Besides these genetic advances, the amenability of zebrafish larvae, due to their translucency, to optogenetic manipulation and monitoring of neuronal activity in vivo [10,11,12,13], make these animals attractive for addressing fundamental questions regarding the biology of learning and memory. The amenability of zebrafish larvae, due to their translucency, to optogenetic manipulation and monitoring of neuronal activity in vivo [10,11,12,13], make these animals attractive for addressing fundamental questions regarding the biology of learning and memory Toward this end, it is important to develop learning protocols for the zebrafish larvae that are suitable for use with optical techniques. We have succeeded in demonstrating a form of habituation of a simple, neurobiologically tractable, behavior in the restrained zebrafish
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