Abstract
Regenerative medicine offers potentially ground-breaking treatments of blindness and low vision. However, as new methodologies are developed, a critical question will need to be addressed: how do we monitor in vivo for functional success? In the present study, we developed novel behavioral assays to examine vision in a vertebrate model system. In the assays, zebrafish larvae are imaged in multiwell or multilane plates while various red, green, blue, yellow or cyan objects are presented to the larvae on a computer screen. The assays were used to examine a loss of vision at 4 or 5 days post-fertilization and a gradual recovery of vision in subsequent days. The developed assays are the first to measure the loss and recovery of vertebrate vision in microplates and provide an efficient platform to evaluate novel treatments of visual impairment.
Highlights
Visual impairment has been estimated to affect 285 million people worldwide; 246 million people have low vision and 39 million people are blind [1]
Comparative studies in vertebrate model systems have provided a better understanding of the signaling pathways that regulate regenerative neurogenesis and these signaling pathways may be used to stimulate endogenous regeneration of the visual system [3,4]
The development, anatomy and physiology of the visual system is highly conserved in vertebrate species and zebrafish larvae have a cone-dominated retina for full-color vision [5,6]
Summary
Visual impairment has been estimated to affect 285 million people worldwide; 246 million people have low vision and 39 million people are blind [1]. While visual impairment is generally irreversible, it may be possible to treat blindness and low vision using novel methodologies in regenerative medicine. As novel methodologies are developed, a critical question will need to be addressed: how do we monitor in vivo for functional success?. The analysis of visually-guided behaviors in zebrafish larvae provides an effective approach to examine visual function. The development, anatomy and physiology of the visual system is highly conserved in vertebrate species and zebrafish larvae have a cone-dominated retina for full-color vision [5,6]. By analyzing visually-guided behaviors in zebrafish larvae, it is possible to detect functional defects, even when the visual system appears normal by morphological criteria. Specific visual defects have been identified by measuring
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