title: Modeling seizure-related behavioral and endocrine phenotypes in adult zebrafish.
abstract: Larval zebrafish (Danio rerio) have recently been suggested as a high-throughput experimental model of epilepsy-related pathogenetic states. Here we use adult zebrafish to study behavioral symptoms associated with drug-evoked seizures. Experimental epilepsy-like states were evoked in zebrafish by exposure for 20min to three chemoconvulsant drugs: caffeine (250mg/L; 1.3mM), pentylenetetrazole (1.5g/L; 11.0mM) and picrotoxin (100mg/L; 0.17mM). Fish behavior was analyzed using manual and video-tracking methods (Noldus Ethovision XT7). Compared to their respective controls, all three drug-treated groups showed robust seizure-like responses (hyperactivity bouts, spasms, circular and corkscrew swimming) accompanied by elevated whole-body cortisol levels (assessed by ELISA). In contrast, control fish did not display seizure-like behaviors and had significantly lower cortisol levels. Paralleling behavioral and endocrine phenotypes observed in clinical and rodent studies, our data implicates adult zebrafish as an emerging experimental model for epilepsy research.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience Program, Zebrafish Neuroscience Research Consortium (ZNRC), Tulane University Medical School, 1430 Tulane Ave., New Orleans, LA 70112, USA.
authors.forename: Keith
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stewart
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gilder
authors.forename: Nadine
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Frank
authors.forename: Siddharth
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gaikwad
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Suciu
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dileo
authors.forename: Eli
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Utterback
authors.forename: Katie
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Leah
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Grossman
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cachat
authors.forename: Allan V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Kalueff
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D002110:Caffeine; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000378:metabolism*; D008124:Locomotion / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D009716:Numerical Analysis, Computer-Assisted; D010433:Pentylenetetrazole; D010641:Phenotype; D010852:Picrotoxin; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000187:drug effects; D012640:Seizures / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D015027:Zebrafish
chemical_list: D002110:Caffeine; D006854:Hydrocortisone; D010433:Pentylenetetrazole; D010852:Picrotoxin