Abstract
ABSTRACTSocial behaviors are essential for the survival and reproduction of social species. Many, if not most, neuropsychiatric disorders in humans are either associated with underlying social deficits or are accompanied by social dysfunctions. Traditionally, rodent models have been used to model these behavioral impairments. However, rodent assays are often difficult to scale up and adapt to high-throughput formats, which severely limits their use for systems-level science. In recent years, an increasing number of studies have used zebrafish (Danio rerio) as a model system to study social behavior. These studies have demonstrated clear potential in overcoming some of the limitations of rodent models. In this Review, we explore the evolutionary conservation of a subcortical social brain between teleosts and mammals as the biological basis for using zebrafish to model human social behavior disorders, while summarizing relevant experimental tools and assays. We then discuss the recent advances gleaned from zebrafish social behavior assays, the applications of these assays to studying related disorders, and the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.
Highlights
Social behavior – defined as beneficial interaction between individuals in the same species – is essential for the survival and reproduction of social species, including humans and many other vertebrates
Animal models for behavioral disorders are inevitably confronted with questions about their validity
This is true for emerging model organisms such as the zebrafish as well as for established ones such as rodents
Summary
Social behavior – defined as beneficial interaction between individuals in the same species – is essential for the survival and reproduction of social species, including humans and many other vertebrates. Zebrafish are diurnal and can perform behavioral tasks under a normal light setting Because they remain submerged in water during behavioral tests, zebrafish are not affected by minor environmental interferences such as weak sounds and smells. In this Review, we first discuss the neuroanatomical and neurophysiological evidence supporting the use of zebrafish to model human social behavior disorders (see Box 1; Figs 1, 2). We describe the established experimental methods for studying social behavior deficits and examples of using these assays to model related human disorders. We begin by describing assay setups for specific aspects of social behaviors using traditional and new experimental
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